New Delhi: Key dates in the life of India’s three-time prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee:
– December 25, 1924: Born in Gwalior, in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
– 1942: Brief spell in prison for anti-British activities.
– 1957: Enters Indian Parliament for the first time.
– 1975-1977: Imprisoned for two years for opposing the state of emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
– March 1977: Minister of Foreign Affairs until July 1979.
– April 1980: Co-founds the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
– May 16, 1996: Becomes prime minister for the first time, lasting 13 days.
– March 19, 1998: Prime minister for the second time.
– May 1998: Organises nuclear tests in the Rajasthan desert.
– October 10, 1999: Wins third mandate to serve as prime minister.
– February 1999: Travels by bus to Lahore in Pakistan to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.
– May 2004: Suffers shock election defeat, replaced by Manmohan Singh.
– 2009: Ends political career for health reasons.
– August 16, 2018: Dies in New Delhi at the age of 93.
Agence France-Presse