Biography of  Atal Bihari Vajpayee

(December 25, 1924)

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the Prime Minister of India. He was born on December 25, 1924, in the erstwhile princely state of Gwalior. A Hindi poet and an orator, known for his spellbinding eloquence, Vajpayee's first brush with nationalist politics was in his student’s days when he joined the Quit India Movement of 1942. A student of political science and law, it was in college that he developed a keen interest in foreign affairs, which he put to skillful use while representing India at various multilateral and bilateral fora.

Vajpayee had embarked upon a journalistic career, which was cut short in 1951 when he joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He became the Minister for External Affairs in 1977 when the Janata Party formed the government. On October 13, 1999, he took charge as the Prime Minister of India for the second consecutive term as the head of a new coalition government - the National Democratic Alliance. He has completed his tenure of 5 years as the Prime Minister of India.