The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) is the third biggest party in Botswana. The party was formed in 1998 to provide a credible alternative to the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) that has been in power since independence in 1966.

Prior to the formation of the BCP, opposition politics in Botswana were defined by lack of cohesiveness, indiscipline, organizational slipts, incosnistent policy statements and anarchy. The BCP was formed to provide the electorate with a modern party based on social democratic principles.

A year after formation, the BCP contested the general elections and captured 40,096 votes, which constituted 11.31% of the votes cast. In the following general elections of 2004, the BCP vote grew to 68,556, which translates to 16.27% of the votes cast. The results clearly demonstrate that the BCP is the fastest growing party in Botswana and continues to have greater appeal among the electorate.

The party first president was Michael Kitso Dingake while the current president is Gilson Saleshando. Both Saleshando and Dingake are former members of the Botswana National Front, from which the BCP split and served as members of Parliament from 1994 to 1999.