BJP workers perform havan to celebrate Vajpayee's 93rd birthday

Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 25 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers performed havan on Monday in several parts of the nation on the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Havan are being performed in Uttar Pradesh's, Kanpur, Varanasi and Ayodhya.

Earlier in the day, President Ram Nath Kovind wished the BJP stalwart who turned 93 today.

The President wrote on Twitter: "Birthday wishes to our much-loved and respected former Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his wishes to the BJP veteran.

"Birthday greetings to our beloved Atal Ji. His phenomenal as well as visionary leadership made India more developed and further raised our prestige at the world stage. I pray for his good health," he said in a tweet.

A political persona known for his exemplary leadership and contribution to Indian politics, Vajpayee is the only non-Congress leader who served the nation as the Prime Minister and completed the full five-year term from 1999 to 2004.

A parliamentarian for over four decades, Vajpayee has been elected to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament of India) ten times, and twice to the Rajya Sabha (upper house).

The Bharat Ratna awardee retired from active politics due to health concerns.

In a special gesture, the Narendra Modi-led government in 2014 announced that Vajpayee's birthday would be celebrated as Good Governance Day annually.(ANI)