Photos: Tracing the legacies of former BJP national presidents

J P Nadda on Monday, January 20, 2020 became the 11th national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP, since its inception in 1980 following a break from the Janata Party has had 10 individuals as party presidents for varying terms. Of them, several have held positions in the central government and multiple past presidents continue to do so in PM Modi’s second cabinet of ministers. A look at the legacies of the BJP’s past presidents.

Updated on: Jan 22, 2020 4:58 PM IST

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Jagat Prakash Nadda on Monday was elected unopposed as the 11th national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party. A former ABVP functionary and an ex union minister, Nadda took over from Amit Shah, who served as party president from 2014 and is also the union Minister for home affairs. (Sanjeev Verma / HT Photo)

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Updated on Jan 22, 2020 4:58 PM

Atal Bihari Vajpayee at an event in Ghaziabad on August 03, 1980. After breaking away from the Janata Party, the Jan Sangh recast itself as the BJP in 1980. Atal Bihari Vajpayee became its first national president and held the position from 1980 to 1986. He is the only party president to be elected the Prime Minister of the country. (KK Chawla / HT Archive)

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Updated on Jan 22, 2020 4:58 PM

LK Advani addresses a rally in February 1986. That year, the BJP elected Advani as its president. He served till 1991, got a second term as president between 1993 and 1998 and a third term in 2004-2005. Advani is credited with reviving a party that won just two seats in the 1984 general elections by galvanising support for the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. (Santosh Kumar Gupta / HT Archive)

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In 1991 the party appointed Murli Manohar Joshi (C) as its president. He served a term till 1993. Proponent of Swadeshi, he stressed on reviving Sanskrit education, modernising madarsas and started the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. As the President of the BJP, Joshi led the Ekta Yatra that culminated in Kashmir with the national flag being raised. (R Gupta / HT Archive)

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Kushabhau Thakre right after being appointed BJP president unopposed on April 14, 1998. Thakre, among the founder members of the BJP was elected party president for a three year term. While he held many positions in the party over the years, he is credited with strengthening the party fold and grooming a long line of leaders who eventually rose to power. (HC Tiwari / HT Archive)

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Thakre was succeeded by Bangaru Laxman who was president for a year till 2001 and had to face an exit following a sting operation. He was caught on camera accepting money from people who pretended to broker on behalf of arms companies. He was subsequently booked for corruption and sentenced to a prison term. (Manish Swarup / HT Archive)

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Jana Krishnamurthy with Narendra Modi at a BJP National Executive meeting in Delhi on March 25, 2001. Krishnamurthy, also a former law minister was party president from 2001 to 2002. Starting as a RSS volunteer, the Madurai born, Krishnamurthy opted for the BJP at a time when the party did not evoke much response in the southern states. (Arvind Yadav / HT Archive)

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M Venkaiah Naidu took over the reins of the party in 2002 till 2004. As party president he urged the party to build its cadre in the rural areas to expand its base. An activist of the ABVP who was once at the forefront of the anti Hindi agitation, Naidu has held several party posts and portfolios in the government, and is currently the Vice President of the county. (Ajay Aggarwal / HT Archive)

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In 2005 Rajnath Singh took over from Advani who completed a third term between 2004 and 2005. Singh was also given a year’s second term in 2013. As party president he undertook the Bharat Suraksha Yatra to highlight the issue of national security and increasing terror threats. He currently holds the office of Defence minister. (Virendra Singh / HT Archive)

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Nitin Gadkari in Nagpur on December 20, 2009. Gadkari took over as president from 2009 to 2013 and earned himself the title of a doer. He began his political career with the ABVP during emergency, and rose to become a minister in Maharashtra and subsequently at the centre. Rural connectivity and empowerment of the socially backward were the focus of his presidency. (HT Archive)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets newly appointed BJP President Amit Shah in New Delhi on July 9, 2014. Shah was given charge when Rajnath Singh became the union home minister. It was during his presidency that the party grew both in terms of numbers and geographically. Shah stressed on ensuring party presence in every district across the country. He also focused on contesting elections Panchayat upwards. (Ajay Aggarwal / HT Archive)