Archive · 23 Sep 2026
Amitabh Bachchan’s Brief Political Career Began With Election Victory
Amitabh Bachchan was one of India’s biggest movie stars when he entered politics.
He ran for Parliament in 1984 with the Congress party.
He won a seat representing Allahabad by a large margin.
After visiting the area, he reportedly said he was surprised by the amount of poverty in India.
He left politics a few years later, in 1987.
Political reporter Tavleen Singh said disagreements with the Gandhi family may have influenced his decision.
The disagreement involved allegations connected to the Bofors arms deal.
Bachchan’s name was cleared in that case in 2012, according to the article.
Amitabh Bachchan contested the 1984 Lok Sabha election on a Congress ticket after Rajiv Gandhi encouraged him to enter politics.
He defeated veteran politician Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna by a large margin in Allahabad, now Prayagraj.
Political reporter Tavleen Singh recalled Bachchan saying he had not realized how much poverty existed in India.
Bachchan left politics in 1987 and later described it as a “cesspool,” according to the article.
Singh attributed his departure to tensions with the Gandhi family over allegations related to the Bofors scandal, while Bachchan’s name was cleared in 2012.
- Who
- Amitabh Bachchan, Rajiv Gandhi, the Gandhi family, and political reporter Tavleen Singh.
- What
- Bachchan’s short political career, his 1984 election victory, and the reported reasons he left politics.
- When
- He won the election in 1984, left politics in 1987, and was cleared in the Bofors case in 2012.
- Where
- He won from Allahabad, now known as Prayagraj, in Uttar Pradesh, India.
- Why
- According to Tavleen Singh, Bachchan entered politics at Rajiv Gandhi’s urging and later left amid tensions involving the Bofors allegations.
- Election year
- 1984
- Political party
- Congress
- Constituency
- Allahabad, now Prayagraj
- Election opponent
- Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna
- Politics exit
- 1987
- Controversy
- The Bofors scandal
- Name cleared
- 2012, according to the article