Rupatai Patil's triumph in the Latur parliamentary constituency of Maharashtra in the 2004 General Elections came at the expense of a seasoned politician who had the won the said seat on the seven previous occasions. Identify the latter?
Shivraj Patil
Manohar Joshi
AR Antulay
The correct answer: In 1980, Shivraj Patil got elected to the seventh Lok Sabha from Latur. By 1999 (the 13th Lok Sabha), he had won seven successive elections from the constituency. However, in 2004 Rupatai, a BJP candidate defeated the veteran by a margin of 30, 551 votes. Despite the defeat, he still landed up the position of the Home Minister in the Union Cabinet.
Wrong! Try again
Wrong! The correct answer is Shivraj Patil. In 1980, Shivraj Patil got elected to the seventh Lok Sabha from Latur. By 1999 (the 13th Lok Sabha), he had won seven successive elections from the constituency. However, in 2004 Rupatai, a BJP candidate defeated the
veteran by a margin of 30, 551 votes. Despite the defeat, he still landed up the position of the Home Minister in the Union Cabinet.
Col Sona Ram Choudhary had won the Barmer Lok Sabha seat on three straight occasions before he was finally defeated in 2004. Who consigned the veteran to defeat in that election?
Sachin Pilot
Manvendra Singh
Dharmendra
Wrong! Try again.
The correct answer: The son of former Finance Minister Jaswant Singh got elected on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket defeating the veteran Congressman (Sona Ram) by a whopping margin. While Manvendra garnered 631, 851 votes, his rival could manage only 359, 963 votes. It marked the first instance that BJP won the Barmer seat, traditionally a Congress stronghold.
Wrong! The correct answer is Manvendra Singh. The son of former Finance Minister Jaswant Singh got elected on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket defeating the veteran Congressman (Sona Ram) by a whopping margin. While Manvendra garnered 631, 851 votes, his rival could manage only 359, 963 votes. It marked the first instance that BJP won the Barmer seat, traditionally a Congress stronghold.
When BJP announced its first list of 12 candidates from Rajasthan for the Lok Sabha polls, Arjunram Meghwal replaced someone, who has over the last five years earned the sobriquet of 'missing MP', for the Bikaner constituency. Identify the latter?
Navjot Sidhu
Vinod Khanna
Dharmendra
Wrong! Try again.
Wrong! The correct answer is Dharmendra. Meghwal, a Rajasthan Administrative Services officer, who was conferred the IAS in 1999, belongs to Bikaner and was collector of Churu before taking over the present post of deputy secretary, higher and technical education. The decision was probably made taking into consideration the fact that the voters of Bikaner were visibly agitated over the non-execution of several promises Dharmendra made ahead of his 2004 election. The Bollywood star allegedly didn’t visit the constituency even once after being elected.
Correct! The correct answer: Meghwal, a Rajasthan Administrative Services officer, who was conferred the IAS in 1999, belongs to Bikaner and was collector of Churu before taking over the present post of deputy secretary, higher and technical education. The decision was probably made taking into consideration the fact that the voters of Bikaner were visibly agitated over the non-execution of several promises Dharmendra made ahead of his 2004 election. The Bollywood star allegedly didn’t visit the constituency even once after being elected.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opened its account by winning two Lok Sabha seats in the 1984 general elections. Which of the following seats wasn’t pocketed by the BJP in that election?
Lucknow
Mehsana
Hanamkonda
Wrong! Try again.
Correct! The BJP, founded in December 1980, secured only two seats out of 543 in the 1984 Lok Sabha polls. Dr Amratbhai Kalidas Patel won the Mehsana seat in Gujarat while PJ Reddy defeated former Indian prime minister PV Narasimha Rao to win the Hanamkonda seat in Andhra Pradesh. In the following 1989 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP obtained 88 seats and it supported the Janata Dal-led coalition of VP Singh.
Wrong! The correct answer: The BJP, founded in December 1980, secured only two seats out of 543 in the 1984 Lok Sabha polls. Dr Amratbhai Kalidas Patel won the Mehsana seat in Gujarat while PJ Reddy defeated former Indian prime minister PV Narasimha Rao to win the Hanamkonda seat in Andhra Pradesh. In the following 1989 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP obtained 88 seats and it supported the Janata Dal-led coalition of VP Singh.
Which former Prime Minister also served as India's ambassador to the erstwhile Soviet Union early in his career?
IK Gujral
VP Singh
PV Narasimha Rao
Wrong! Try again.
Correct! Inder Kumar Gujral succeeded prominent Kashmiri politician Durga Prasad Dhar as India’s envoy to the erstwhile Soviet Union in 1976 and held on to the post till 1980. He later left the Congress Party in the mid-1980s and joined the Janata Dal as Minister of External Affairs in the VP Singh cabinet. Gujral subsequently became the Prime Minister in April 1997 continued in the office for over 11 months, including 3 months as caretaker PM.
Wrong! The correct answer: Inder Kumar Gujral succeeded prominent Kashmiri politician Durga Prasad Dhar as India’s envoy to the erstwhile Soviet Union in 1976 and held on to the post till 1980. He later left the Congress Party in the mid-1980s and joined the Janata Dal as Minister of External Affairs in the VP Singh cabinet. Gujral subsequently became the Prime Minister in April 1997 continued in the office for over 11 months, including 3 months as caretaker PM.
Dr P Pookunji Koya, a retired chief medical officer from the Amini Community Health Centre, created a history of sorts in the 2004 general elections. Which high profile figure did he defeat?
PM Sayeed
PV Narasimha Rao
N Chandrababu Naidu
Wrong! Try again.
Correct! Sayeed had been elected to the Lok Sabha from Lakshadweep a record nine times beginning in 1967. He had been a member of the lower house in 1971, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998 and 1999 – that is from the fourth to the 13th Lok Sabha. However, in May 2004, Sayeed, then the Deputy speaker in the dissolved Lok Sabha, was defeated by 71 votes by his Janata Dal-United rival Dr P Pookunji Koya.
Wrong! The correct answer: PM Sayeed -- Sayeed had been elected to the Lok Sabha from Lakshadweep a record nine times beginning in 1967. He had been a member of the lower house in 1971, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998 and 1999 – that is from the fourth to the 13th Lok Sabha. However, in May 2004, Sayeed, then the Deputy speaker in the dissolved Lok Sabha, was defeated by 71 votes by his Janata Dal-United rival Dr P Pookunji Koya.
In the 1999 elections, Sonia Gandhi contested from two constituencies, winning both the seats. In which constituency did she beat veteran BJP leader, Sushma Swaraj?
Amethi
Bellary
Rae Bareli
Wrong! Try again.
Correct! This constituency in Karnataka had returned Congress winners since India's independence and Sushma taking on Sonia made it one of the most high profile battles. The fervent campaigns came to an end with Sushma losing out, even though she came within seven per cent of the vote of the Congress President.
Wrong! The correct answer: Bellary
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