# Atal Bihari Vajpayee

_Prime Minister of India in 1996 and from 1998 to 2004_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/atal-bihari-vajpayee
Last updated: 2026-10-17

> Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian statesman and a poet who served as prime minister of India, from 1998 to 2004, and previously for two weeks in 1996. He was the first non-Congress prime minister to serve a full term in the office. Vajpayee was one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was a volunteer and full-time functionary (pracharak) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindutva paramilitary volunteer organisation. Vajpayee combined cultural nationalism with political moderation, shaping a distinctive strand of post-Independence Indian conservatism rooted in civilisational identity. Vajpayee represented a current in Hindu nationalism that sought to harmonise cultural identity with democratic pluralism.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 24 December 1924 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233289#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Gwalior ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233289#P19))
- **Died:** 16 August 2018 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233289#P570))
- **Place of death:** All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233289#P20))
- **Citizenship:** British Raj; Dominion of India ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233289#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician; poet; journalist; writer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233289#P106))
- **Political party:** Bharatiya Janata Party (1980–2018); Bharatiya Jana Sangh ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233289#P102))
- **Education:** Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University; St. Mary's School, Belgaum; DAV College, Kanpur ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233289#P69))
- **Positions held:** Prime Minister of India (19 March 1998 – 19 May 2004); Minister of External Affairs (19 March 1998 – 5 December 1998); Prime Minister of India (16 May 1996 – 1 June 1996); Minister of External Affairs (26 March 1977 – 28 July 1979); member of Rajya Sabha; Member of the 11th Lok Sabha; Member of the 12th Lok Sabha; Member of the 13th Lok Sabha; Member of the 7th Lok Sabha ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233289#P39))
- **Awards:** Bharat Ratna; Ig Nobel Prize; Padma Vibhushan in Public Affairs; Outstanding Parliamentarian Award; Banga Bibhushan; Order of Ouissam Alaouite; Grand Cross of the Order of Wissam Alaouite ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233289#P166))

## Questions

**When was Atal Bihari Vajpayee born?**  
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on 24 December 1924 in Gwalior.

**What positions has Atal Bihari Vajpayee held?**  
Positions held by Atal Bihari Vajpayee include: Prime Minister of India (1998–2004); Minister of External Affairs (1998–1998); Prime Minister of India (1996–1996); Minister of External Affairs (1977–1979); member of Rajya Sabha.

**Where did Atal Bihari Vajpayee study?**  
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was educated at Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, St. Mary's School, Belgaum, DAV College, Kanpur.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Atal Bihari Vajpayee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atal_Bihari_Vajpayee) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%9F%E0%A4%B2_%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%80) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q233289](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233289) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Atal Bihari Vajpayee (crop 2).jpg by Government of India (GODL-India)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atal_Bihari_Vajpayee_(crop_2).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Atal Bihari Vajpayee, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Atal Bihari Vajpayee (crop 2).jpg — Government of India, GODL-India.

## Cite this page

"Atal Bihari Vajpayee". DigiNepal. Last updated 17 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/atal-bihari-vajpayee. Retrieved 21 October 2026.