L. K. Advani Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Lal Krishna Advani
Name Earned	Loh Purush (Iron Man)
Profession	Politician
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 8" (173 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Gray (semi bald)
Politics
Political Party	Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) (1951-1976) Janata Party (JP) (1977-1980) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (1980)
Political Journey	• Joined the the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) (1951) Served as the General Secretary of the Delhi unit of BJS (1957) • Served as the Leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in the Delhi Metropolitan Council (1966-1967) • Served as the Chairman of the Delhi Metropolitan Council (1967-1970) • Elected to the Rajya Sabha from Delhi as a BJS candidate (1970) • Served as the President of the BJS (1973-1977) • Re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat - 2nd term (1976) • Served as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting (1977-1979) • Served as the General Secretary of the Janata Party (1977-1980) • Served as the Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha (January 1980 - April 1980) • Quit the Janata Party and co-founded the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (6 April 1980) • Served as the General Secretary of the BJP (1980-1986) • Re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh on a ticket from the BJP - 3rd term (1982) • Served as the President of the BJP (1986-1991) • Re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh - 4th term (1988) • Elected to the Lok Sabha from New Delhi for the first time (1989) • Served as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (1989-1991) • Served as the Chairman of the Committee to Review the Lok Sabha Secretariat (Recruitment and Conditions of Service Rules, 1955) (1990-1991) • Served as the Chairman of the Committee of Parliament appointed to advise the structure of pay and allowances and other terms & conditions of service for the post of Secretaries-General of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha (April 1990 - May 1990) • Re-elected to the 10th Lok Sabha from Gandhinagar on a ticket from the BJP - 2nd term (1991) • Served as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (1991-1993) • Served as the President of the BJP (1993-1998) • Re-elected to the 12th Lok Sabha from Gandhinagar - 3rd term (1998) • Served as the Minister of Home Affairs (1998-2004) • Re-elected to the 13th Lok Sabha - 4th term (1999) • Served as the Deputy Prime Minister (29 June 2002 - 2004) • Served as the Union Cabinet Minister of Coal and Mines (Additional Charge) (1 July 2002 - 25 August 2002) • Served as the Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Additional Charge) (29 January 2003 - 21 May 2004) • Re-elected to the 14th Lok Sabha - 5th term (2004) • Served as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (2004) • Served as a Member of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs (5 August 2006 - May 2009) • Re-elected to the 15th Lok Sabha - 6th term (2009) • Served as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (May 2009 - 21 December 2009) • Served as a Member of the Committee on Installation of Potraits/Statues of National Leaders and Parliamentarians in Parliament House Complex (4 August 2009) • Served as a Member of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs (31 August 2009) • Served as a Member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Maintenance of Heritage Character and Development of Parliament House Complex (15 December 2009) • Re-elected to the 16th Lok Sabha - 7th term (2014) • Became a Member of the Committee on Public Undertakings (14 August 2014) • Became a Member of the Standing Committee on Information Technology (1 September 2014) • Became the Chairperson of the Committee on Ethics (15 September 2014) • Became a Member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Maintenance of Heritage Character and Development of Parliament House Complex (8 October 2014)
Awards, Honours	2015: Padma Vibhushan 2024: Bharat Ratna
Personal Life
Date of Birth	8 November 1927 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2024)	97 Years
Birthplace	Karachi, Bombay Presidency, British India (now Sindh, Pakistan)
Zodiac sign	Scorpio
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Karachi
School	St. Patrick's High School, Karachi
College/University	• D. G. National College, Hyderabad, Sindh • Government Law College, Mumbai
Educational Qualification	A degree in Law from Government Law College
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Brahmin
Ethnicity	Sindhi Hindu
Food Habit	Vegetarian
Address	30 Prithviraj Road, New Delhi
Hobbies	Reading, Watching Movies
Controversies	Jain Hawala Diaries Scandal: In 1996, Advani was named in the Jain Hawala Diaries scandal after which he resigned as a Lok Sabha member. He was accused of receiving money according to entries found in the diaries of hawala broker S. K. Jain, which were presented as crucial evidence by the CBI in court. Advani, however, was later acquitted of all charges. [1]NDTV Demolition of Babri Masjid: In 1992, Advani's name appeared among the accused in the demolition of Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. He, along with others, faced charges of promoting religious enmity nad provoking rioting. After 28 years, On 30 September 2020, a Special CBI Court in Lucknow acquitted all accused, including Advani. [2]NDTV
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Widower
Marriage Date	25 February 1965
Family
Wife/Spouse	Kamla Advani (deceased)
Children	Son- Jayant Advani (businessman) Daughter- Pratibha Advani (anchor, television producer )
Parents	Father- Kishanchand D. Advani (deceased) Mother- Gyani Devi (deceased)
Siblings	Brother- None Sister- Sheela Advani (younger)
Favourites
Politician(s)	Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Philosopher	Swami Vivekananda
Activist/Leader	Mahatma Gandhi
Beverage	Starbucks Coffee
Money Factor
Assets/Properties (as of 2024)	• Real Estate Properties in Delhi and Gandhi Nagar: Rs. 5,57,38,000 • Bank Deposits: Rs. 1,62,37,276 • Jewellery: Rs. 40,00,000
Net Worth (approx.)	Rs. 8.35 crores (as of 2024)

Some Lesser Known Facts About L. K. Advani

• L. K. Advani grew up in pre-partition Sindh.
  

  A collage of L. K. Advani’s childhood pictures

• Advani joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Karachi in 1941 and soon became a full-time worker there.

• He joined the Model High School in Karachi in 1944 as a teacher.

• He was appointed as the Secretary of RSS, Karachi, in 1947.

• Advani started serving as a pracharak in Rajasthan after the Partition of India in 1947. He worked in Alwar, Bharatpur, Kota, Bundi and Jhalawar districts until 1952.
  

  L. K. Advani in his youth

• He also helped journalist and historian K. R. Malkani publish Organiser, the weekly newsletter of the RSS, and became its national executive member in 1966.

• Advani helped the BJP become a national party. When he became the party president in 1986, he had to face a lot of problems as the BJP had only two members in the Lok Sabha as the Congress party had won easily after Indira Gandhi‘s assassination.

• Under Advani’s leadership, the BJP took a prominent role in the Ayodhya dispute. It supported the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Movement to build a temple at the Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya, a disputed location believed to be the birthplace of Lord Rama.

• In 1989, the BJP’s support for the Ayodhya temple campaign, which they included in their election manifesto, made them secure 86 seats. This victory marked Advani’s debut in the Lok Sabha, where he became the opposition leader under VP Singh’s National Front government.

• In 1990, Advani led a journey called Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath, Gujarat, to Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, to gather support for the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement.
  

  A picture of L. K. Advani during his Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath, Gujarat, to Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, in 1990

• Advani later organised 5 more yatras, ‘Janadesh Yatra’ (1993), ‘Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra’ (1997), ‘Bharat Uday Yatra’ (2004), ‘Bharat Suraksha Yatra’ (2006), and ‘Jan Chetna Yatra’ (2011).

• He began the Janadesh Yatra on 11 September 1993 from Mysore (now Mysuru), Karnataka, with the aim to oppose two bills: the Constitution 80th Amendment Bill and the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill. The yatra included four marches from across the country, passing through 14 states and 2 Union Territories.

• Advani led the Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra between May and July 1997 to celebrate 50 years of independence and showcase the BJP’s dedication to effective governance.

• Under his leadership, the Bharat Uday Yatra was held before the 2004 General elections. During the yatra, Harish Dagur, a BJP corporator served as a driver of Advnai’s rath. Advani preferred a speed of 80 kilometres per hour, and they completed 7872 km of travelling in just 33 days in a minibus across India.

• Advani shared a great bond with Atal Bihari Vajpayee. After his retirement, Advani took over the leadership of the BJP.
  

  L. K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee

• In June 2005, during a visit to Karachi, Advani called politician Muhammad Ali Jinnah a “secular” leader, which upset the RSS and made him resign as the BJP leader. However, he withdrew his resignation soon after. By December 2005, during the party’s silver jubilee in Mumbai, Advani stepped down as the party president, allowing Rajnath Singh to succeed him.

• After a bomb blast at a Hindu shrine in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, in March 2006, the BJP initiated a nationwide campaign, ‘Bharat Suraksha Yatra,’ from 6 April 2006 to 10 May 2006, which included two yatras led by Advani and Rajnath Singh. Advani’s yatra started from Dwarka in Gujarat from Delhi, while Rajnath’s yatra began from Puri to Delhi. It aimed to address issues such as left-wing terrorism.

• Advani took a leading role in starting the Jan Chetna Yatra from Sitab Diara in Uttar Pradesh on 11 October 2011. The yatra aimed to unite public opinion against corruption in the UPA government and promote the BJP’s focus on good governance and ethical politics.
  

  L. K. Advani as a member of the BJP

• Advani is a fitness enthusiast and enjoys walking for exercise.

• His autobiography ‘My Country My Life,’ released by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam on 19 March 2008, set a record sale of over 1 Million (10 lakh) copies.
  

  L. K. Advani’s ‘My Country, My Life’ (2008)

• On 3 July 2024, Advani was admitted to Apollo Hospital in New Delhi due to age-related health issues. He was placed under the care of urology specialists for observation.