Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee: Take a quick look at his political journey

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and educationist Madan Mohan Malviya were on Wednesday chosen for the country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. The saffron icon started off as the political secretary of Shyama Prasad Mookherjee, the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh before becoming the eleventh Prime Minister of India, first for 13 days in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004. Vajpayee remained a member of parliament for 47 years, elected 11 times to the Lok Sabha, and twice to the Rajya Sabha. Here's a look at his extraordinary politial journey.