Vajpayee wins Lucknow fifth time in a row

Despite leading his coalition to a shock defeat, Atal Bihari Vajpayee scored a personal record as he won from the Uttar Pradesh capital for the fifth time in a row.

Despite leading his coalition to a shock defeat, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee scored a personal record as he won from the Uttar Pradesh capital for the fifth time in a row.

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Vajpayee, 79, predictably defeated a divided opposition, especially his nearest rival and old friend, independent candidate Ram Jethmalani, who was backed by the Congress.

But Vajpayee probably had no time for celebrations as he submitted his resignation to President APJ Abdul Kalam in New Delhi after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition suffered a stunning defeat.

As he bowed out, speculation was rife about whether he or his deputy LK Advani would assume the role of the leader of the opposition.

Vajpayee, who has had a long parliamentary career of more than five decades, had addressed several campaign rallies in Lucknow.

In some of them, he had dropped hints of retiring from politics though the BJP hastily assured he would do nothing of the kind.

At any rate, the soon-to-be-80 prime minister insisted this would be his last election.