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December 25, 2017 marks the 93th Birthday of veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Though the leader has been bed ridden and away from the eyes of the media for many years now due to his old age, the Bharat Ratna recepient was visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and other leaders at his residence today. A political persona known for his exemplary leadership and contribution to Indian politics, Vajpayee is the only non-Congress leader who served the nation as the prime minister and completed his full term. On his 93rd Birthday, here are some pictures that depict his political life in the country from being the minister of external affairs to the Prime Minister and then later a reputed minister of the opposition. (Photo: Express Archives)
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Vajpayee was born to Krishna Devi and Krishna Bihari Vajpayee on 25 December, 1924, in Gwalior. He completed his schooling from Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Gorkhi, Bara, Gwalior and went on to Victoria College (now Laxmi Bai College), where he graduated with distinction in Hindi, English and Sanskrit. (Photo: Express Archives)
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He then completed his post-graduation with an M.A. in Political Science from DAV College, Kanpur, and was awarded a first-class degree. [Minister for health Namdeorao Gadekar, Babanrao Dhakhe president of Janta party for Maharstra, Baburao Bharaskar former Minister, Dr Mahale, Jaggi also seen in the picture on the occasion of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Minister for external affairs addressing a huge rally organised by Janta Party at Ahmedabad. (Photo: Express Archives)]
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His activism started with Arya Kumar Sabha of Gwalior, the youth wing of the Arya Samaj, of which he became the General Secretary in 1944. (Photo: Express Archives)
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He also joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a swayamsevak in 1939. Influenced by Babasaheb Apte, he attended the Officers Training Camp of the RSS during 1940-44 and became a "full-time worker" in 1947, technically a pracharak. [India's Foreign Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressing UN General assembly in background from left Lazar Mojsov President of General Assembly and William Buffim Under secretary general for General Assembly affairs in the year 1977. (Photo: AP)]
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He gave up studying law due to the partition riots, and was sent as a vistarak (probationary pracharak) to Uttar Pradesh and quickly began working for the newspapers of Deendayal Upadhyaya, Rashtradharma (a Hindi monthly), Panchjanya (a Hindi weekly) and the dailies Swadesh and Veer Arjun. [Atal Bihari Vajpayee minister of External affairs with Warren Christopher deputy secretary of states USA when Latter called on him in New Delhi on July 23, 1977. (Photo: Express Archives)]
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Vajpayee's first exposure to politics was in August 1942, when he and his elder brother Prem were arrested for 23 days during the Quit India Movement, when he was released only after giving a written undertaking, expressly declaring not to participate in any of the anti-British struggle. [The Union Minister for external affairs Atal Bihari Vajpayee and soviet Minister AA Gromvko prior to Indo USSR talks in Moscow on September 14, 1978. Inder Kumar Gujaral also seen in the picture. (Photo: Express Archives)]
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In 1951, he was seconded by the RSS, along with Deendayal Upadhyaya, to work for the newly formed Bharatiya Jana Sangh, a Hindu right-wing political party associated with the RSS. He was appointed as a national secretary of the party in charge of the Northern region, based in Delhi. He soon became a follower and aide of party leader Syama Prasad Mukherjee. [The Minister of external affairs Atal Bihari Vajpayee shaking hand with Cyrus R Vance secretary of state after signing the Indo US joint commission joint communique during the visit to washington on May 16, 1979. (Photo: Express Archives)]
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In 1954, Vajpayee was with Mookerjee when he went on a fast-unto-death in Kashmir to protest against perceived inferior treatment of non-Kashmiri Indian visitors to the state. Mookerjee died in prison during this strike. [BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani and Shiv Sena Leader Bal Thackeray. (Photo: Express Archives)]
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In 1957, Vajpayee lost to Raja Mahendra Pratap in Mathura for the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament of India, but was eventually elected from Balrampur. [Vice President K R Narayanan release the book on Atal Bihari Vajpayee at parliament annexe with Shiv Raj Patil and Atal Behari Vajpayee on 23-1-96 (Photo: Express Archives)]
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From 1975 to 1977, Vajpayee was arrested along with several other opposition leaders during the Internal Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Indian National Congress party. [Prime Minister IK Gujral, SR Bommai, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manohar Joshi and Gopinath Munde. Express archive photo by Mukesh Parpiani on 07.08.1997 (Photo: Express Archives)]
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In 1977, heeding the call of social reformer Jayaprakash Narayan for all the opposition parties to unite against the Congress, Vajpayee merged the Jana Sangh into the newly formed grand-alliance, the Janata Party. [BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee participating in 46 convection of Jain Mahamandal in Mumbai on 21.01.1990 (Photo: Express Archives)]
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In the 1996 general elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha. The then president Shankar Dayal Sharma invited Vajpayee to form the government. Vajpayee was sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of India, but the BJP failed to muster enough support from other parties to obtain a majority. He resigned after 13 days, when it became clear that he could not garner a majority. [The Prime Ministe Atal Bihari Vajpayee being received by the dupty minister of the Prime Minister of Partuguese Republic Armando Vera at Lisbon International Airport on June 27, 2000. (Photo: Express Archives)]
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A parliamentarian for over four decades, Vajpayee has been elected to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament of India) ten times, and twice to the Rajya Sabha (upper house). He also served as the Member of Parliament for Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, until 2009, when he retired from active politics due to health concerns. [Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressing the joint session of the US congress at Hill (Washington) on September 14, 2000. (Photo: Express Archives)]
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On 25 December, 2014, the office of the President of India announced the Bharat Ratna award, India's highest civilian honour, to Vajpayee. In a special gesture, the President of India conferred Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his residence on 27 March 2015. [Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani watching a Marathi Play ''Janata Raja" Bandra Reclamantion on December 28, 2005. (Photo: Express Archives)]
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Furthermore, the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 announced that Vajpayee's birthday would be celebrated as Good Governance Day annually. [DECEMBER 25, 2009 – New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh greets former Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 85th birthday, at latter's residence in New Delhi on Friday. Vajpayee has not been seen in public for over a year due to his illness (Photo: Express Archives)]
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