Atal Bihari Vajpayee birth anniversary: Vajpayee had achieved several feats in his life as a politician. One of his feats is that Vajpayee remains India's only politician who has won from six different Lok Sabha seats from four states.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 101st birth anniversary was observed in India on Thursday (December 25). A veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Vajpayee had served as India's prime minister from 1998 to 2004. Vajpayee was India's first non-Congress prime minister who served in the office for full five years.
Vajpayee had achieved several feats in his life as a politician and someone who represented India at various levels. One of his feats is that Vajpayee remains India's only politician who has won from six different Lok Sabha seats from four states.
He had become a Lok Sabha member for the first time in 1957 after he was elected to the Lower House from Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur. He contested from Balrampur again in 1967 and represented it till 1971. He contested the Lok Sabha in 1971 from Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, a seat he represented till 1977.
From 1977 to 1984, he represented the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat. In 1991, he contested the Lok Sabha elections from Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha and Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow. Vajpayee contested the 1996 Lok Sabha elections from two seats again -- Gujarat's Gandhinagar and Lucknow.
In total, he contested from six different Lok Sabha seats from four states.
Uttar Pradesh:
Balrampur: Won in 1957 and 1967.
Lucknow: Won five consecutive times from 1991 to 2004.
Madhya Pradesh:
Gwalior: Won in 1971.
Vidisha: Won in 1991.
Delhi and Gujarat:
New Delhi: Won in 1977 and 1980.
Gandhinagar: Won in 1996.
Additionally, Vajpayee was also elected twice to the Rajya Sabha -- from Uttar Pradesh in 1962 and Madhya Pradesh in 1986.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 101st birth anniversary
Born on this day in 1924 in Gwalior, Vajpayee served as prime minister of India thrice between 1996 and 2004. He had died on August 16, 2018. On Thursday, India observed his 101st birth anniversary. His birth anniversary is observed as Good Governance Day.
"My respectful tributes to the former prime minister, Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji, who resides in the hearts of all countrymen, on his birth anniversary," said PM Modi in Hindi on X (formerly Twitter). "He will always be remembered as a brilliant orator as well as a spirited poet. His personality, work and leadership will continue to be a guiding light for the all-around development of the nation."
Later in the day, PM Modi will visit Lucknow where he will inaugurate the Rashtra Prerna Sthal, paying tributes to Vajpayee. According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Rashtra Prerna Sthal has been built for Rs 230 crore, which is spread across an expansive area of 65 acres.
