The emergence of BJP as a significant force in post-Emergency politics can be traced through the following phases:

After the Emergency, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh had merged with the Janata Party. Following the fall and break-up of the Janata Party, the supporters of the erstwhile Jana Sangh formed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1980. Initially, the BJP adopted a broader political platform than the Jana Sangh. It embraced 'Gandhian Socialism' along with cultural nationalism as its ideology. However, the party did not achieve much success in the 1984 elections.

After 1986, the party began to emphasise nationalism as the core of its ideology. The BJP also pursued the politics of 'Hindutva' for political mobilisation, marking the visible rise of politics based on religious identity.

The BJP continued to consolidate its position in the elections of 1991 and 1996. It emerged as the largest party in the 1996 election and was invited to form the government. However, most other parties were opposed to its policies, and the BJP government could not secure a majority in the Lok Sabha.

The period after 1989 is seen as the period of decline of Congress and rise of BJP. The BJP finally came to power by leading a coalition government. In 2014, BJP won 282 seats on its own, becoming the first party to gain single party majority after 30 years. It again emerged victorious with 303 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.