Bharatiya Janata Party

The Bharatiya Janata Party (Hindi: भारतीय जनता पार्टी; pronunciation; translation: Indian People's Party; often abbreviated as BJP) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament and in the various state assemblies. The Bharatiya Janata Party advocates Hindu nationalism and social conservatism, self-reliance, social justice, foreign policy driven by a nationalist agenda, a strong national defense and a more economically liberal fiscal policy to that of the democratic socialist Indian National Congress, although the party manifesto strongly supports the welfare state and some aspects of Green politics.The party's platform is generally considered to the right of the Indian political spectrum.

The BJP headed the national government along with a coalition of parties of the NDA from 1998 to 2004, under the premiership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, making it the first non-Congress government to last the full term in office. Since the 2004 election defeat the party has been the principal opposition in parliament.