Four time MP Vinod Khanna, missed berth in Modi's team

Vinod Khanna is, of course, remembered for what he gave best -super performances in Bollywood films.
But his debut in politics too left an impression among the people he represented in Parliament.

Khanna was sitting BJP MP from Gurudaspur in Punjab, having got elected in the 2014 polls.

Just as his life in Bollywood had ups and downs, his sojourn in politics had its share. Khanna did not find his journey easy. In the run-up to the 2014 elections,  his candidature from Gurudaspur met with resistance as he was considered close to veteran BJP leader L K Advani. 

Advani, who was instrumental in his entry into the BJP,  backed Khanna fully, which finally led to his getting ticket in the last minute. 

After his victory, Khanna expected that he would be back as minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's team. But the PM decided against inducting anyone who had reached the age of 65 though there were exceptions.

Khanna was minister of culture and tourism in the Vajpayee Cabinet in 2002.  In January 2003, he was elevated as Minister of State for External Affairs. He was four-time Lok Sabha MP.

Khanna entered into politics when he decided to give up on films for the sake of what he, often said, was for inner peace.

But as a politician and a Union minister, Khanna wore his role quite unassumingly, preferring to leaving the impact on his voters in Punjab.

Overcoming Khanna the tag of being a “Mumbai Ka Babu” and an “outsider,” Khanna was first elected as MP on a BJP ticket in 1998 from Gurdaspur.  He defeated veteran Congress leader and five-time MP Sukhbuns Kaur Bhinder.

Khanna again trounced her in the 1999 and 2004 Lok Sabha polls. But in 2009, he lost to Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa.

Recovering his lost political support, Khanna won the 2014 polls by defeating Bajwa more than 1.38 lakh votes.

Two months after his victory, Khanna was diagnosed with suffering from cancer. His treatment prevented him from visiting Gurudaspur as regularly as he used to do during his previous terms.

Khanna is, however, credited by local people for constructing two bridges on the Beas and Ujh rivers providing easy connectivity from Gurudaspur which is close to the Pakistan border.