LK Advani, veteran BJP leader, admitted to Apollo Hospital in Delhi

Veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani has been admitted to Apollo Hospital in New Delhi. His condition is currently “stable,” and he is being kept under observation, hospital officials confirmed.

The 96-year-old is under the care of Dr Vinit Suri, a senior consultant in the neurology department, according to news agency PTI.

The former deputy prime minister was brought to the hospital two days ago. He had also been admitted to the same facility earlier this year.

The reason for his most recent hospitalisation has not yet been disclosed.

Advani’s political journey

Born on November 8, 1927, in Karachi, Advani became a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the age of 14. Following the Partition in 1947, he and his family migrated to India.

In 1951, Lal Krishna Advani joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, founded by Syama Prasad Mookerjee. He entered the Rajya Sabha in 1970 and, two years later, was elected president of the party. During the 1975 Emergency, Advani and his colleague Atal Bihari Vajpayee were arrested.

When the Janata Party government, led by Morarji Desai, took office in 1977, Advani was appointed as the information and broadcasting minister. In 1980, he played a key role in founding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Advani is widely recognized for guiding the BJP from a mere two seats in the 1984 general election to becoming a national force in the 1990s. His leadership in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, advocating for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, significantly boosted the BJP’s political fortunes.

He served as BJP president three times and later held the positions of deputy prime minister and home minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government.

In the 2009 general elections, Advani was named the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, but the party was unable to secure victory.