  events in the year 1996 in the republic of india. ==incumbents== * president of india â shankar dayal sharma * prime minister of india â p. v. narasimha rao until 16 may, atal bihari vajpayee until 1 june, h. d. deve gowda ==events== ===january to june=== *january â a major corruption scandal erupts involving allegations that many senior politicians and civil servants have received bribes from prominent businessman surendra jain. *january â tensions with pakistan rise sharply and there is an exchange of mortar and machine-gun fire across the line of control in kashmir. *18 january - n. t. rama rao died *29 january â s. r. bommai resigns as president of the janata dal party and is replaced by laloo prasad yadav. *27 april, 2 may and 7 may â in general elections the ruling congress party is defeated and the hindu nationalist bharatiya janata party (bjp) becomes the largest single party in parliament. phoolan devi, former bandit queen is elected to parliament from the samajwadi party. *17 to 28 may - atal bihari vajpayee, leader of the bharatiya janata party, is elected the new prime minister of india, replacing p. v. narasimha rao of the indian national congress. however, the party does not receive an overall majority and vajpayee resigns thirteen days later rather than face a no confidence vote, and is replaced by the united front, led deve gowda. *1 june â h.d. deve gowda is sworn in at the head of the united front, a coalition of 13 parties which congress supports but does not join. gowda's new cabinet brings in powerful regional figures, mixing low-caste and minority muslim leaders with veterans of the socialist movement. *15 june - shiva soni was born at karwi chitrakoot u.p. *28 june â communists join the government for the first time since independence. ===july to december=== *11 july â a delhi court summons congress president p.v. narasimha rao to testify as the co-accused in a cheating case. *28 august â at least 194 pilgrims are reported to have frozen to death in northern kashmir after being stranded by violent rain and snow storms in the amarnath yatra tragedy. *19 september â the government of gujarat under chief minister suresh chandra mehta is sacked on recommendation of prime minister gowda, and federal rule is imposed over the state. the move comes a day after the bjp government in gujarat won a controversial vote of confidence in the state legislature. mehta won the vote after the acting assembly speaker (a bjp member) suspended all opposition legislators. fighting broke out on the floor of the assembly after marshals tried to force the suspended legislators to leave. wi
1996_by_country 1996_in_India Years_of_the_20th_century_in_India