View source for L. K. Advani

{{short description|7th Deputy Prime Minister of India (born 1927)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2025}} 
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = L. K. Advani
| image               = File:Lalkrishna Advani.jpg
| caption             = Advani in 2022
| order               = 
| office              = [[Deputy Prime Minister of India]]
| primeminister       = [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
| term_start          = 29 June 2002
| term_end            = 22 May 2004
| predecessor         = [[Devi Lal]] (1991)
| successor           = ''Vacant''
| office1             = [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Union Minister of Home Affairs]]
| primeminister1      = [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
| predecessor1        = [[Indrajit Gupta]]
| successor1          = [[Shivraj Patil]]
| term_start1         = 19 March 1998
| term_end1           = 22 May 2004
| office3             = 17th [[Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions|Union Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions]]
| term_start3         = 29 January 2003
| term_end3           = 21 May 2004
| primeminister3      = [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
| predecessor3        = [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
| successor3          = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| office2             = 16th [[Ministry of Coal|Union Minister of Coal and Mines]]
| primeminister2      = [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
| term_start2         = 1 July 2002
| term_end2           = 26 August 2002
| predecessor2        = [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
| successor2          = [[Uma Bharati]]
| office4             = 6th [[Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha]]
| term_start4         = 22 May 2004
| term_end4           = 21 December 2009
| primeminister4      = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| predecessor4        = [[Sonia Gandhi]]
| successor4          = [[Sushma Swaraj]]
| term_start5         = 24 December 1990
| term_end5           = 25 July 1993
| primeminister5      = * [[Chandra Shekhar]]
* [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]]
| predecessor5        = [[Rajiv Gandhi]]
| successor5          = [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
| office6             = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|Member of Parliament]], [[Lok Sabha]]
| constituency6       = [[Gandhinagar (Lok Sabha constituency)|Gandhinagar, Gujarat]]
| term_start6         = 28 February 1998
| term_end6           = 23 May 2019
| predecessor6        = [[Vijay Patel (politician)|Vijay Patel]]
| successor6          = [[Amit Shah]]
| term_start7         = 26 November 1989
| term_end7           = 7 May 1996
| predecessor7        = [[Krishna Chandra Pant]]
| successor7          = [[Rajesh Khanna]]
| constituency7       = [[New Delhi (Lok Sabha constituency)|New Delhi, Delhi]]
| office8             = 2nd [[President of the Bharatiya Janata Party]]
| term_start8         = 2004
| term_end8           = 2005
| predecessor8        = [[Venkaiah Naidu]]
| successor8          = [[Rajnath Singh]]
| term_start9         = 1993
| term_end9           = 1998
| predecessor9        = [[Murli Manohar Joshi]]
| successor9          = [[Kushabhau Thakre]]
| term_start10        = 1986
| term_end10          = 1991
| predecessor10       = [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
| successor10         = [[Murli Manohar Joshi]]
| office11            = 5th [[Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha]]
| vicepresident11     = [[Mohammad Hidayatullah]]
| term_start11        = 21 January 1980
| term_end11          = 7 April 1980
| successor12         = [[P. Shiv Shankar]]
| predecessor12       = [[Kamalapati Tripathi]]
| office13            = 11th [[Minister of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting]]
| term_start13        = 24 March 1977
| term_end13          = 28 July 1979
| primeminister13     = [[Morarji Desai]]
| predecessor13       = [[Vidya Charan Shukla]]
| successor13         = [[Purushottam Kaushik]]
| office14            = [[Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha|Member of Parliament]], [[Rajya Sabha]]
| term_start14        = 3 April 1988
| term_end14          = 30 November 1989
| predecessor14       = [[Hans Raj Bhardwaj]]
| successor14         = Jinendra Kumar Jain
| constituency14      = [[List of Rajya Sabha members from Madhya Pradesh|Madhya Pradesh]]
| term_start15        = 3 April 1982
| term_end15          = 2 April 1988
| predecessor15       = [[Sawai Singh Sisodiya]]
| successor15         = Radhakishan Malviya
| constituency15      = Madhya Pradesh
| term_start16        = 3 April 1976
| term_end16          = 2 April 1982
| predecessor16       = [[Devdatt Kumar Kikabhai Patel]]
| successor16         = [[Kumud Ben Joshi]]
| constituency16      = [[List of Rajya Sabha members from Gujarat|Gujarat]]
| term_start17        = 3 April 1970
| term_end17          = 2 April 1976
| predecessor17       = Sardar Santokh Singh
| successor17         = Charanjit Chanana
| constituency17      = [[List of Rajya Sabha members from Delhi|Delhi]]
| office18            = 2nd [[1967 Delhi Metropolitan Council election|Chairman of Delhi Metropolitan Council]]
| term_start18        = 28 March 1967
| term_end18          = 19 April 1970
| predecessor18       = Jag Parvesh Chandra
| successor18         = Shyam Charan Gupta
| birth_name          = Lal Krishna Advani
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1927|11|8|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Karachi]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]] (present{{endash}}day [[Karachi]], [[Sindh]], [[Pakistan]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/who-is/l-k-advani-profile-bharat-ratna-9142199/|title=From Swayamsevak to the man behind the rise of BJP in India: The journey of LK Advani|date=4 July 2024}}</ref>)
| party               = [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (1980{{endash}}present)
| otherparty          = {{ubl|[[Janata Party]] {{nowrap|(1977–1980)}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/who-is/l-k-advani-profile-bharat-ratna-9142199/|title=From Swayamsevak to the man behind the rise of BJP in India: The journey of LK Advani|date=3 February 2024}}</ref> |[[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]] {{nowrap|(1951–1977)}}}}
| spouse              = {{marriage|Kamla Advani|1965|2016|end=died}}
| children            = [[Pratibha Advani]] (daughter)<br />Jayant Advani (son)
| occupation          = {{hlist|Journalist|diplomat|trade unionist|politician}}
| alma_mater          = [[St. Patrick's High School, Karachi]]<br/>[[Government Law College, Mumbai]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sansad.in/ls/members/biographyM/9?from=members|title=Lal Krishna Advani profile|publisher= Digital Sansad
}}</ref>
| residence           = {{ubl|30, Prithviraj Road, [[New Delhi]]}}
| awards              = [[Bharat Ratna]]<br />[[Padma Vibhushan]]
| signature           = Lal Krishna Advani Signature.png
| image_size          = 
}}
'''Lal Krishna Advani''' (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian [[politician]] and [[statesman]] who served as the 7th [[Deputy Prime Minister of India]] from 2002 to 2004. He is one of the co-founders of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) and a member of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS), a [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[Hindutva]] [[paramilitary]] organisation. He was the longest serving [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Minister of Home Affairs]] serving for 6 years and 64 days from 1998 to 2004, until his protége [[Amit Shah]] overtook him in 2025. He is also the longest serving [[Leader of the Opposition (India)|Leader of the Opposition]] in the [[Lok Sabha]], as well as the longest serving President of the BJP, the current ruling party of India. He was the party's prime ministerial candidate during the [[1989 Indian general election|1989]], [[1991 Indian general election|1991]], and [[2009 Indian general election|2009 general elections]].

Advani was born in [[Karachi]] and migrated to India during the [[Partition of India]] and settled down in [[Bombay]] where he completed his college education. Advani joined the RSS in 1941 at the age of fourteen and worked as a pracharak (RSS officer) in [[Rajasthan]]. In 1951, Advani became a member of the [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]] party founded by [[Syama Prasad Mookerjee]] and performed various roles, including supervisor of parliamentary affairs, general secretary, and president of the Delhi unit. In 1967, he was elected as the chairman of the First [[Delhi Metropolitan Council|Delhi metropolitan council]] and served till 1970 while becoming a member of the RSS national executive. In 1970, Advani became a member of the [[Rajya Sabha]] for the first time and would go on to serve four terms until 1989. He became the president of Jan Sangh in 1973, and it merged into the [[Janata Party]] before the [[1977 Indian general election|1977 general election]]. Following the Janata party's victory in the elections, Advani became the union minister for [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Information and Broadcasting]] and leader of the house in Rajya Sabha.

In 1980, Lal Krishna was one of the founding members of the BJP along with [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] and served as the president of the party three times. He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1989 where he served seven terms. In 1992, he was alleged to have been part of the [[Demolition of the Babri Masjid]], but was acquitted by the courts due to lack of evidence. Following the same, he was one of the chief proponents of the movement to build a [[Hindu temple|temple]] over the [[Ayodhya dispute|disputed]] [[Ram Janmabhoomi]] site in [[Ayodhya]] and the subsequent rise of [[Hindutva]], a Hindu nationalist ideology, in the late 1990s. He has served as leader of opposition in both the houses. He was the minister of home affairs from 1998 to 2004 and deputy prime minister from 2002 to 2004. He served in the [[Indian parliament]] until 2019 and is credited for rise of BJP as a major political party. In 2015, he was awarded the [[Padma Vibhushan]], India's second highest civilian honour and in 2024, he was conferred with [[Bharat Ratna]], India's highest civilian honour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oneindia.com/politicians/l-k-advani-33187.html|title=Lal Krishna Advani: Age, Biography, Education, Wife, Caste, Net Worth & More - Oneindia|website=www.oneindia.com}}</ref>

==Early and personal life==

Advani was born on 8 November 1927 in [[Karachi]], [[British Raj|British India]], in a [[Sindhi Hindu]] [[Lohana]] family<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Khaled |date=27 June 2014 |title=The fading memory of amity |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-fading-memory-of-amity/ |access-date=20 July 2024 |website=The Indian Express |language=en |quote=BJP leader L.K. Advani, in his autobiography My Country, My Life (2008), writes: "The Advani family belonged to the Amil branch of Sindhi Hindus. Traditionally, the Amil was a revenue official who assisted munshis in the administrative set-up of Muslim kings. It was one of the two main divisions of the Lohano clan which was linked to the Vaishya (business) community. In time, Amils came to dominate government jobs and professions in Sindh."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Patel |first=Aakar |author-link=Aakar Patel |date=10 February 2011 |title=BJP's sole currency is its anger |url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/yEjs0XsHbJsNnT1Mi4xzaL/BJP8217s-sole-currency-is-its-anger.html |access-date=20 July 2024 |website=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |quote=L.K. Advani is different, and from the same Lohana caste as Jinnah.}}</ref><ref name="lka">{{cite news |last=Patel |first=Aakar |author-link=Aakar Patel |title=Analysis: Trading with India |url=http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta2/tft/article.php?issue=20110930&page=7 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006183815/http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta2/tft/article.php?issue=20110930&page=7 |archive-date=6 October 2011 |access-date=6 August 2012 |work=[[The Friday Times]] |quote=Incidentally, BJP's LK Advani is a Sindhi-speaking Amil from the Lohana caste.}}</ref> to Kishanchand D. Advani and Gyani Devi.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/election-news/key-contestants/story/lk-advani-41833-2009-03-15|title=Bhartiya Janata Party's Prime Ministerial candidate and the Leader of Opposition, Lal Krishna Advani will once again seek re-election from his Gandhinagar constituency|date=18 March 2009|newspaper=[[India Today]]|access-date=1 November 2023|archive-date=17 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117140944/https://www.indiatoday.in/election-news/key-contestants/story/lk-advani-41833-2009-03-15|url-status=live}}</ref>

Advani was educated at [[St. Patrick's High School, Karachi]], and [[D. G. National College]] in [[Hyderabad, Sindh]].<ref>{{cite news|title=L.K. Advani: Bio, Political life, Family & Top stories|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/candidates/l-k-advani|work=[[Times of India]]|access-date=1 November 2023|archive-date=8 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108063917/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/candidates/l-k-advani|url-status=live}}</ref> His family was forced to flee [[Sindh]] and came to India during the [[partition of India]] and settled in [[Mumbai]], where he graduated in law from the [[Government Law College, Mumbai|Government Law College]].<ref name="LSMB">{{cite web|title=Members Bioprofile|url=http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/Members/Biography.aspx?mpsno=9|publisher=Lok Sabha of India/National Informatics Centre, New Delhi|access-date=27 April 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617072553/http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/Members/Biography.aspx?mpsno=9|archive-date=17 June 2012}}</ref><ref name=MalikSingh>{{cite book |last1=Malik |first1=Yogendra K. |last2=Singh |first2=V.B. |title=Hindu Nationalists in India: The Rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party |date=1994 |publisher=Westview Press |location=Boulder, Colorado |isbn=978-0-8133-8810-6|pages=40–43}}</ref>

Advani married Kamla Advani in February 1965, and had a son, Jayant, and a daughter, [[Pratibha Advani|Pratibha]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Will LK Advani's son live up to his father's image? |url=https://www.firstpost.com/politics/will-lk-advanis-son-live-up-to-his-fathers-image-1523797.html |access-date=5 April 2019 |work=Firstpost |date=14 May 2014 |archive-date=23 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223002906/http://www.firstpost.com/politics/will-lk-advanis-son-live-up-to-his-fathers-image-1523797.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Pratibha is a television producer and also supports her father in his political activities.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sahgal |first1=Priya |title=A Tale of Two Daughters |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/column-off-the-record/story/a-tale-of-two-daughters-45777-2009-04-27 |newspaper=[[India Today]] |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=9 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509172927/https://www.indiatoday.in/column-off-the-record/story/a-tale-of-two-daughters-45777-2009-04-27 |url-status=live }}</ref> His wife died on 6 April 2016 due to old age.<ref>{{cite news |title=LK Advani bids adieu to wife Kamla; Swaraj, Manmohan, Amit Shah at funeral |url=https://indianexpress.com/photos/picture-gallery-others/l-k-advanis-wife-kamla-advani-passes-aways-rare-family-pics/ |access-date=5 April 2019 |work=[[Indian Express]] |date=7 April 2016 |archive-date=10 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110034557/http://indianexpress.com/photos/picture-gallery-others/l-k-advanis-wife-kamla-advani-passes-aways-rare-family-pics/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Advani resides in Delhi.<ref>{{cite news|last=Roy Chaudhury|first=Dipanjan|date=29 June 2019|title=Lutyens' Zone: Sushma Swaraj to vacate, LK Advani & MM Joshi may retain bungalows|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/lutyens-zone-sushma-swaraj-to-vacate-lk-advani-mm-joshi-may-retain-bungalows/articleshow/69998385.cms|access-date=28 June 2020|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921061840/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/lutyens-zone-sushma-swaraj-to-vacate-lk-advani-mm-joshi-may-retain-bungalows/articleshow/69998385.cms|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Early political career==
===1941–1951: Early years===
Advani joined the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS) in 1941 at the age of fourteen.<ref>{{cite news|title='My idea of happiness is good books':Advani|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/my-idea-of-happiness-is-good-books/|newspaper=Indian Express|date=19 September 2010|access-date=1 November 2023|archive-date=17 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117163812/https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/my-idea-of-happiness-is-good-books/|url-status=live}}</ref> He became a [[pracharak]] (full-time worker) conducting [[shakhas]] and became the secretary of the Karachi unit in 1947.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-incomplete-without-sindh-advani/|title=India 'incomplete' without Sindh: Advani|date=15 January 2017|access-date=15 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115121812/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-incomplete-without-sindh-advani/|archive-date=15 January 2017|url-status=live|publisher=Indian Express}}</ref> After the partition of India, Advani was a pracharak in [[Rajasthan]] working across [[Alwar district|Alwar]], [[Bharatpur district|Bharatpur]], [[Kota district|Kota]], [[Bundi district|Bundi]] and [[Jhalawar district|Jhalawar]] districts until 1952.<ref name=Jaffrelot>{{cite book |last=Jaffrelot |first=Christophe |author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|title=The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics |publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers |year=1996 |isbn=978-1850653011 |page=237}}</ref>

===1951–1970: Jan Sangh and Delhi council chairman===
Advani became a member of the [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]] (BJS), a political party founded in 1951 by [[Syama Prasad Mookerjee]] in collaboration with the RSS. He was appointed as the secretary to [[S. S. Bhandari]], then general secretary of the Jan Sangh in Rajasthan. In 1957, he moved to [[Delhi]] and became the general secretary and later, president of the Delhi unit of the Jana Sangh. From 1966 to 1967 he served as the leader of BJS in the [[Delhi Metropolitan Council]] (DMC). After the [[1967 Delhi Metropolitan Council election]], he was elected as the chairman of the council and served till 1970.<ref name="LSMB"/><ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.abhilekh-patal.in/jspui/handle/123456789/2783364 |title=Proposal to nominate a member to the Delhi Metropolation [sic] Council Vice Shri L.K. Advani |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs: Delhi Section |year=1971 |location=New Delhi |pages=2 |quote="Shri L. K. Advani who was the chairman of the Metropolitan Council, was elected as member of the Rajya Sabha in the last elections and his seat has fallen vacant in the Council. He was from the Jan Sangh Party." |access-date=21 September 2022 |url-access=registration |via=[[National Archives of India]] |archive-date=21 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921135504/https://www.abhilekh-patal.in/jspui/handle/123456789/2783364 |url-status=live }}</ref> He also assisted [[K. R. Malkani]] with the publication of [[Organiser (newspaper)|''Organiser'']], the weekly newsletter of the RSS and became a member of its national executive in 1966.<ref name="Jaffrelot" />

===1971–1975: Parliament entry and Jan Sangh leader===
In 1970, Advani became a member of the [[Rajya Sabha]] from Delhi for the six-year tenure.<ref name="Rajya Sabha">{{cite web |url=http://164.100.47.5/Newmembers/alphabeticallist_all_terms.aspx |title=List of Rajya Sabha members Since 1952 |access-date=21 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109030114/http://164.100.47.5/Newmembers/alphabeticallist_all_terms.aspx |archive-date=9 January 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1973, he was elected as the president of BJS at the [[Kanpur]] session of the party working committee meeting.<ref name="LSMB"/>

===1976–1980: Janata party and cabinet minister===
Advani was reelected to the Rajya Sabha from [[Gujarat]] in 1976 for the second time.<ref name="Rajya Sabha"/> After the imposition of [[The Emergency (India)|The Emergency]] and a crackdown on opposition parties by then-[[Prime Minister of India|prime minister]], [[Indira Gandhi]], BJS and other opposition parties merged to form the [[Janata Party]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Zarhani|first=Seyed Hossein|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3tqDwAAQBAJ|title=Governance and Development in India: A Comparative Study on Andhra Pradesh and Bihar after Liberalization|publisher=Routledge|year=2018|isbn=978-1-351-25518-9|pages=189}}</ref> In the [[1977 Indian general election|1977 election]], the Janata Party won a landslide victory due to the widespread unpopularity of the state of emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi.<ref name="B">{{cite book|author=G. G. Mirchandani|title=320 Million Judges|publisher=Abhinav Publications|year=2003|isbn=81-7017-061-3|pages=90–100}}</ref> [[Morarji Desai]] became the prime minister with Advani becoming the [[Minister of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Minister of Information and Broadcasting]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Basu|first=Amrita|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TTrjCQAAQBAJ|title=Violent Conjunctures in Democratic India|date=30 June 2015|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-08963-1|pages=69}}</ref> The government did not complete its five year term and was dissolved to call fresh elections in [[1980 Indian general election|1980]] where Janata party lost to the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref name="General Election of India 1967">{{cite web |title=General Election of India 1980, 7th Lok Sabha |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1980/Vol_I_LS_80.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718175926/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1980/Vol_I_LS_80.pdf |archive-date=18 July 2014 |access-date=13 January 2010 |publisher=Election Commission of India |page=5 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19830930-as-general-elections-loom-large-new-four-party-united-front-formed-to-counter-congi-771046-2013-07-18|title=As general elections loom large, new four-party United Front formed to counter Cong(I) |first=Prabhu |last=Chawla|date=30 September 2013|website=[[India Today]] |access-date=23 June 2019}}</ref> Subsequently, Advani became the [[Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha|leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha]].<ref name="LSMB"/>

==Formation of BJP==
===1980–1989: Early years===
On 6 April 1980, Advani along with few of the erstwhile members of the Jana Sangh quit the Janata Party and formed the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] with [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] as the first president.<ref>{{cite news|date=6 April 2019|title=BJP's foundation day: Brief history of the achievements and failures of the party|work=The Indian Express|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/bhartiya-janata-party-narendra-modi-bjp-bjps-37th-foundation-day-brief-history-of-the-achievements-and-failures-of-the-party-4601637/|url-status=live|access-date=17 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511143721/https://indianexpress.com/article/research/bhartiya-janata-party-narendra-modi-bjp-bjps-37th-foundation-day-brief-history-of-the-achievements-and-failures-of-the-party-4601637/|archive-date=11 May 2019}}</ref> Though the previous government lasted briefly from 1977 till 1980 and was marred with factional wars, the period saw a rise in support for the RSS which culminated into the formation of the BJP.<ref>{{cite book |last1 = Guha |first1 = Ramachandra |author-link = Ramachandra Guha |title = India after Gandhi: the history of the world's largest democracy |date = 2007 |publisher = Picador |location = India |isbn = 978-0-330-39610-3 |edition = 1st|title-link = India after Gandhi|pages=563–564}}</ref> In 1982, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha for the third time from [[Madhya Pradesh]] representing the BJP.<ref name="Rajya Sabha" /> BJP won only two seats in the [[1984 Indian general election|1984 election]] with the Congress winning a landslide on the back of a sympathy wave due to the [[assassination of Indira Gandhi]]. This failure led to a shift in the party's stance with Advani being appointed party president and the BJP turning to [[Hindutva]] ideology of Jana Sangh.<ref>{{cite book |last1 = Guha |first1 = Ramachandra |author-link = Ramachandra Guha |title = India after Gandhi: the history of the world's largest democracy |date = 2007 |publisher = Picador |location = India |isbn = 978-0-330-39610-3 |edition = 1st|title-link = India after Gandhi|pages=633}}</ref>

Under Advani, BJP became the political face of the [[Ayodhya dispute]] over the [[Ram Janmabhoomi]] site when the [[Vishwa Hindu Parishad]] (VHP) began a movement for the construction of a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity [[Rama]] at the site of the [[Babri mosque|Babri Masjid]] in [[Ayodhya]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://scroll.in/article/744403/in-the-times-of-yakub-memon-remembering-the-babri-masjid-demolition-cases|title=In the times of Yakub Memon, remembering the Babri Masjid demolition cases|date=29 July 2015 |access-date=29 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730231427/http://scroll.in/article/744403/in-the-times-of-yakub-memon-remembering-the-babri-masjid-demolition-cases|archive-date=30 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The dispute centered on the basis of the belief that the site was the birthplace of Rama, and that a temple once stood there that had been demolished by the [[Mughal emperors|Mughal emperor]] [[Babur]] with the [[Archaeological Survey of India]] (ASI) supporting the claim.<ref>{{cite news|title=Evidence of temple found: ASI|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030826/main6.htm|date=25 August 2003|access-date=3 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411193402/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030826/main6.htm|archive-date=11 April 2009|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.the-week.com/23sep07/events1.htm |title=Layers of truth|work = The Week|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050323101829/http://www.the-week.com/23sep07/events1.htm|archive-date = 23 March 2005}}</ref> BJP supported the campaign and made it a part of their election manifesto for the [[1989 Indian general election|1989 elections]], helping it win 86 seats with Advani getting elected to the [[Lok Sabha]] for the first time. Advani became the [[Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha|leader of opposition in Lok Sabha]] when [[VP Singh]] formed the [[National Front (India)|National Front]] government.<ref>{{cite book|title=India Since Independence: Making Sense Of Indian Politics |first=Ananth V. |last=Krishna |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2011 |isbn=9788131734650 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8v7Vr2iQUHkC|page=347}}</ref>

=== 1990–1997: Rath yatras and rise of BJP ===

[[File:Lkadvani.jpg|right|thumb|Advani in 2009]]

Advani often organised ''rath yatras'' or processions to boost the popularity of the BJP and unify Hindutva ideology. He organised six {{Lang|hi-Latn|rath yatras}} across the country with the first one in 1990.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?278312|title=The Eternal Charioteer|work=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] |access-date=11 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518072411/http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?278312 |archive-date=18 May 2012|url-status=live }}</ref>

#''[[Ram Rath Yatra]]'': Advani started his first yatra from [[Somnath]] in [[Gujarat]] on 25 September 1990 which concluded at [[Ayodhya]] on 30 October 1990. The procession was linked to the [[Ayodhya dispute|dispute]] at [[Ram Janmabhoomi]] site at Ayodhya and was stopped in [[Bihar]] by then [[Chief Minister of Bihar|Chief Minister]] [[Lalu Prasad Yadav|Lalu Yadav]] with Advani himself being arrested on the orders of [[V. P. Singh]], then Prime Minister of India.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ndtv.com/blog/lalu-yadav-on-why-and-how-he-arrested-lk-advani-on-october-23-1990-1784734|title=Why And How I Arrested LK Advani By Lalu Yadav|access-date=7 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207105505/https://www.ndtv.com/blog/lalu-yadav-on-why-and-how-he-arrested-lk-advani-on-october-23-1990-1784734|archive-date=7 December 2017|url-status=live|publisher=[[NDTV]]}}</ref>
#''Janadesh Yatra'': Four processions starting on 11 September 1993 from four corners of country were organised and Advani led the yatra from [[Mysore]] in [[South India]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lkadvani.in/eng/content/view/451/295/ |title=LK Advani – Portal – Janadesh Yatra |publisher=Lkadvani.in |date=11 September 1993 |access-date=11 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627154935/http://www.lkadvani.in/eng/content/view/451/295/ |archive-date=27 June 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Traversing through 14 states and two Union Territories, the processions were organised with the purpose to seek the people's mandate against the two bills, the Constitution 80th Amendment Bill and the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill and congregated at [[Bhopal]] on 25 September.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bjp.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=151&Itemid=467 |title=Janadesh Yatra : Shri L K Advani |publisher=Bjp.org |date=11 September 1993 |access-date=11 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614225113/http://www.bjp.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=151&Itemid=467 |archive-date=14 June 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
#''Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra'': The procession was organised between May and July 1997 and was conducted in celebration of 50 years of [[Independence Day (India)|Indian Independence]] and to project the BJP as a party committed to good governance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bjp.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=152&Itemid=468 |title=Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra : Shri L K Advani |publisher=Bjp.org |access-date=11 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613001601/http://www.bjp.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=152&Itemid=468 |archive-date=13 June 2012 |url-status=live  }}</ref>
#''Bharat Uday Yatra'': The yatra took place in the run-up to the [[2004 Indian general election|2004 election]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Press Trust India |url=http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=29187 |title=Advani kickstarts Bharat Uday Yatra |work=Express India |date=10 March 2004 |access-date=11 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121102741/http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=29187 |archive-date=21 January 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
#''Bharat Suraksha Yatra'': The BJP launched a nationwide mass political campaign from 6 April to 10 May 2006 consisting of two yatras – one led by Advani from [[Dwarka|Dwaraka]] in Gujarat to Delhi and the other led by [[Rajnath Singh]] from [[Puri]] to Delhi.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/17yatra.htm |title=Advani to begin from Gujarat; Rajnath from Orissa – Rediff.com India News |work=Rediff.com |date=17 March 2006 |access-date=11 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524114751/http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/17yatra.htm |archive-date=24 May 2013 |url-status=live  }}</ref> The yatra was focused on fighting left wing terrorism, minority politics, price rise and corruption, protection of democracy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bjp.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=154&Itemid=470 |title=Bharat Suraksha Yatra : Shri L K Advani |publisher=Bjp.org |access-date=11 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611053223/http://www.bjp.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=154&Itemid=470 |archive-date=11 June 2012 |url-status=live  }}</ref>
#''Jan Chetna Yatra'': The last of the yatras was launched on 11 October 2011 from Sitab Diara in Bihar for the purposes of mobilising public opinion against perceived corruption of the then-ruling [[United Progressive Alliance|UPA]] government and promoting the BJP's agenda of good governance and anti-corruption.<ref>{{cite web |date=20 November 2011 |title=About Jan Chetna Yatra |url=http://www.janchetnayatra.com/index/about-jan-chetna-yatra/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626120403/http://www.janchetnayatra.com/index/about-jan-chetna-yatra/ |archive-date=26 June 2012 |access-date=11 July 2012 |publisher=Janchetnayatra.com}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=September 2025}}
In 1990, Advani embarked on [[Ram Rath Yatra]], a procession with a chariot to mobilise volunteers for Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The procession began from [[Somnath]] in Gujarat and headed to converge at Ayodhya.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Panikkar|first=K. N.|date=1993|title=Religious Symbols and Political Mobilization: The Agitation for a Mandir at Ayodhya|journal=Social Scientist|volume=21|issue=7/8|pages=63–78|doi=10.2307/3520346|jstor=3520346 |issn=0970-0293}}</ref> In the [[1991 Indian general election|1991 general election]], the BJP became the second largest party after the Congress with Advani winning for the second time from [[Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency|Gandhinagar]] and becoming the leader of opposition again.<ref>{{cite news|title=1990-L.K. Advani's rath yatra: Chariot of fire|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20091228-1990-l.k.-advanis-rath-yatra-chariot-of-fire-741621-2009-12-24|last=Sahgal|first=Priya|date=28 December 2009|website=India Today|access-date=9 May 2020|archive-date=14 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514152536/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20091228-1990-l.k.-advanis-rath-yatra-chariot-of-fire-741621-2009-12-24|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1992, [[Demolition of the Babri Masjid|Babri Masjid was demolished]] with Advani alleged to have delivered a provocative speech prior to the demolition.<ref>{{cite news|title=Muslims can never forgive Kalyan over Babri issue|url=http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Muslims-can-never-forgive-Kalyan-over-Babri-issue/419656/|work=Express India|access-date=27 April 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121102810/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Muslims-can-never-forgive-Kalyan-over-Babri-issue/419656/|archive-date=21 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Babri demolition & failure of Muslim leadership|url=http://www.zeenews.com/news657090.html|publisher=Zee News India|access-date=27 April 2011|date=27 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002222522/http://www.zeenews.com/news657090.html|archive-date=2 October 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Advani fuelled fire that razed Babri: IPS officer|url=https://www.rediff.com/news/report/ips-officer-testifies-to-cbi-on-babri-demolition/20100326.htm|first=Sharat|last=Pradhan|date=26 March 2010|access-date=28 June 2020|website=Rediff|archive-date=29 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629230835/https://www.rediff.com/news/report/ips-officer-testifies-to-cbi-on-babri-demolition/20100326.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Advani was among the accused in the demolition case but was acquitted on 30 September 2020 by a [[Central Bureau of Investigation|CBI]] special court.<ref>{{cite news|first=Vakasha|last=Sachdev|date=6 December 2019|title='Vindicated' LK Advani Remains on Trial in Babri Demolition Case|url=https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/babri-masjid-demolition-criminal-case-conspiracy-lk-advani-vindicated-ayodhya-verdict|access-date=28 June 2020|newspaper=The Quint|archive-date=29 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629225658/https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/babri-masjid-demolition-criminal-case-conspiracy-lk-advani-vindicated-ayodhya-verdict|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=30 September 2020|title=Advani on being acquitted from Babri demolition case.|work=[[Times of India]]|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jai-shri-ram-advani-on-being-acquitted-from-babri-demolition-case/articleshow/78402831.cms|access-date=30 September 2020|archive-date=1 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001044037/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jai-shri-ram-advani-on-being-acquitted-from-babri-demolition-case/articleshow/78402831.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> In the judgement, it was mentioned that the demolition was not pre-planned and that Advani was trying to stop the mob and not incite them.<ref>{{cite news |title=From Nation of Donkeys to 'Black Day for Democracy': English Editorials Slam Babri Verdict |url=https://thewire.in/media/newspaper-editorials-babri-masjid-demolition-verdict |work=[[The Wire (India)]] |date=2 October 2020 |access-date=3 October 2020 |archive-date=1 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001162639/https://thewire.in/media/newspaper-editorials-babri-masjid-demolition-verdict |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Babri accused tried to stop mob, not incite them |url=https://news.rediff.com/commentary/2020/sep/30/babri-accused-tried-to-stop-mob-not-incite-them/577b595b886fd7890e30173a4bdff9c0 |work=[[Rediff.com]] |date=30 September 2020 |access-date=1 October 2020 |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328174319/https://news.rediff.com/commentary/2020/sep/30/babri-accused-tried-to-stop-mob-not-incite-them/577b595b886fd7890e30173a4bdff9c0 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the [[1996 Indian general election|1996 general election]], the BJP became the single largest party and was consequently invited by the [[President of India|president]] to form the government. Advani did not contest the elections over allegations of involvement in the [[Hawala scandal]], and resigned his seat on 16 January 1996,<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Preston |editor-first1=Ian|editor-last2=Rowe |editor-first2=Annamarie |title=A Political Chronology of Central, South and East Asia|edition=1st |publication-place=London |publisher=Europa Publications Ltd. |publication-date=2005 |page=112|isbn=0-203-40308-8}}</ref> but was later cleared of charges by the [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]].<ref>{{cite news|url =https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/lk-advani-parliamentary-history-2019-lok-sabha-elections-1077707-2017-11-01|title =How Advani will create Parliamentary history whether he contests 2019 Lok Sabha elections or not|publisher =[[India Today Group]]|location =[[New Delhi]]|date =1 November 2017|website =[[India Today]]|first =Kumar|last =Shakti Shekhar|access-date =15 July 2020|archive-date =15 July 2020|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20200715173257/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/lk-advani-parliamentary-history-2019-lok-sabha-elections-1077707-2017-11-01|url-status =live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19980303/06250324.html|title=SC clears Advani, Shukla in hawala case|newspaper=Indian Express|date=3 March 1998|access-date=27 September 2008|archive-date=22 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122210136/http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19980303/06250324.html|url-status=live}}</ref> While Vajpayee was sworn in as prime minister in May 1996, the government collapsed after just thirteen days.<ref>{{cite news|title=When Atal Bihari Vajpayee showed the world how to resign in style|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/atal-bihari-vajpayee-parliament-trust-vote-1996-speech-resign-1316838-2018-08-17|last=Goswami|first=Dev|date=17 August 2018|work=India Today|access-date=10 May 2020|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109124004/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/atal-bihari-vajpayee-parliament-trust-vote-1996-speech-resign-1316838-2018-08-17|url-status=live}}</ref>

==1998–2004: Home minister and deputy prime minister==
In the [[1998 Indian general election|1998 general election]], the BJP-led [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA), came to power with Vajpayee returning as prime minister in March 1998.<ref name="Atal">{{cite news|title=How Atal Bihari Vajpayee ended BJP's untouchability|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/how-atal-bihari-vajpayee-ended-bjp-s-untouchability-1317105-2018-08-17|last=Shakti Shekhar|first=Kumar|date=17 August 2018|website=India Today|access-date=10 May 2020|archive-date=7 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807231033/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/how-atal-bihari-vajpayee-ended-bjp-s-untouchability-1317105-2018-08-17|url-status=live}}</ref> Advani was elected to the Lok Sabha for the third term and became the [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Home Minister]].<ref name="LSMB"/> However, the government again collapsed after only thirteen months when [[All Indian Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] (AIADMK) under [[J. Jayalalithaa]] withdrew its support to the government.<ref name="Atal"/> With fresh elections being called, the BJP-led NDA again won a majority in the [[1999 Indian general election|1999 general election]] and Advani won from Gandhinagar for a fourth term. He assumed the office of Home Minister and was later elevated to the position of [[Deputy Prime Minister of India|Deputy Prime Minister]] in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|title=Advani appointed deputy prime minister|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Advani-appointed-deputy-prime-minister/articleshow/14487268.cms|date=29 June 2002|website=The Times of India|access-date=10 May 2020|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328174319/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Advani-appointed-deputy-prime-minister/articleshow/14487268.cms|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W1dZC9ITxgwC|title=Wondering Man, Money & Go(l)d|publisher=Wondering Man|isbn=978-1-84693-016-4|pages=24|language=en|access-date=9 August 2020|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328174520/https://books.google.com/books?id=W1dZC9ITxgwC|url-status=live}}</ref>

==2004–2009: Opposition leader==
[[File:Condoleezza Rice meets L.K. Advani, New Delhi, 2005.jpg|thumb|Advani with then [[United States Secretary of State|US Secretary of State]] [[Condoleezza Rice]] in 2005]]
In the [[2004 Indian general election|2004 general election]], the BJP suffered a defeat with [[United Progressive Alliance]] led by the Congress coming to power, with [[Manmohan Singh]] as prime minister.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ruparelia|first=Sanjay|date=2005|title=Managing the United Progressive Alliance: The Challenges Ahead|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=40|issue=24|pages=2407–2412|jstor=4416746|issn=0012-9976}}</ref> Advani won his fifth term to the Lok Sabha and became the leader of opposition.<ref>{{cite news|date=20 January 2014|title=LK Advani warns of 2004 redux, showers praise on party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/lk-advani-warns-of-2004-redux-showers-praise-on-partys-prime-ministerial-candidate-narendra-modi/articleshow/29082888.cms|access-date=10 May 2020|archive-date=12 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512231533/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/lk-advani-warns-of-2004-redux-showers-praise-on-partys-prime-ministerial-candidate-narendra-modi/articleshow/29082888.cms|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lal Krishna Advani {{!}} Biography & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lal-Krishna-Advani|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=10 May 2020|archive-date=19 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119153656/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lal-Krishna-Advani|url-status=live}}</ref>  Vajpayee retired from active politics after the 2004 defeat, promoting Advani to lead the BJP.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sengupta|first=Somini|date=31 December 2005|title=Former Premier Vajpayee Retires From Indian Politics at 81|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/31/world/asia/former-premier-vajpayee-retires-from-indian-politics-at-81.html|access-date=10 May 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=9 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209125205/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/31/world/asia/former-premier-vajpayee-retires-from-indian-politics-at-81.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2005, while on a visit to Karachi, Advani described [[Mohammad Ali Jinnah]] as a secular leader, which led to criticism from the RSS. Advani was forced to resign as BJP president but withdrew the resignation a few days later.<ref>{{cite news|title=L K Advani resigns for 3rd time in 8 years, once over row on Jinnah remarks|newspaper=[[The Economic Times]]|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/l-k-advani-resigns-for-3rd-time-in-8-years-once-over-row-on-jinnah-remarks/articleshow/20524464.cms|access-date=6 August 2020|archive-date=2 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102132821/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/l-k-advani-resigns-for-3rd-time-in-8-years-once-over-row-on-jinnah-remarks/articleshow/20524464.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2005, RSS chief [[K. S. Sudarshan]] opined that Advani should step aside.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/oldstory.php?storyid=68121|title=Atal, Advani should step aside, let young rise: RSS chief|date=11 April 2005|newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]|access-date=3 April 2009|archive-date=23 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423012539/http://www.indianexpress.com/oldstory.php?storyid=68121|url-status=live}}</ref> At the silver jubilee celebrations of the BJP in [[Mumbai]] in December 2005, Advani stepped down as party president and [[Rajnath Singh]] from [[Uttar Pradesh]] was elected in his place. In March 2006, following a bomb blast at a Hindu shrine at [[Varanasi]], Advani undertook a ''Bharata Suraksha Yatra''  ('Sojourn for National Security'), to highlight the alleged failure of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in combating terrorism.<ref>{{cite news|date=10 June 2013|title=Advani resigns for 3rd time in 8 years, once over row on Jinnah remarks|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/advani-resigns-for-3rd-time-in-8-years-once-over-row-on-jinnah-remarks/story-28cfjVrLxsbMXxNYXv3QgI.html|access-date=6 August 2020|newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]]|language=en|archive-date=15 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615101906/https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/advani-resigns-for-3rd-time-in-8-years-once-over-row-on-jinnah-remarks/story-28cfjVrLxsbMXxNYXv3QgI.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==2009–2015: Prime Minister candidacy and later years==
[[File:Advani on black money - Al Jazeera English - 5483x3368 crop.jpg|thumb|Advani during an election campaign in 2009]]
In December 2006, Advani stated that as the leader of the opposition in a parliamentary democracy, he considered himself the Prime Ministerial candidate for the next general elections in May 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-12-11/india/27823025_1_l-k-advani-rajnath-singh-pakistan-visit|title=I'll be candidate for PM: Advani|date=11 December 2006|access-date=30 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219142107/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-12-11/india/27823025_1_l-k-advani-rajnath-singh-pakistan-visit|archive-date=19 December 2013|work=[[The Times of India]]|url-status=dead}}</ref> While not everyone was supportive of his candidacy, Vajpayee endorsed Advani's candidacy.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/764246.cms|title=Advani opens his heart, and a can of worms|date=11 December 2006|work=The Economic Times|location=India|access-date=3 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214143219/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/764246.cms|archive-date=14 December 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> On 2 May 2007, BJP President Rajnath Singh stated that Advani is the natural choice for the next prime minister if BJP won the next elections.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/LK-natural-choice-for-PM-Rajnath/articleshow/1986518.cms|title=LK 'natural' choice for PM: Rajnath|date=2 May 2007|author=Mohua Chatterjee|access-date=30 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219143857/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-05-02/india/27883339_1_mohan-rao-bhagwat-vajpayee-and-advani-suresh-soni|archive-date=19 December 2013|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|url-status=live}}</ref> On 10 December 2007, the Parliamentary Board of BJP formally announced that L. K. Advani would be its prime ministerial candidate for the general elections due in 2009.<ref>{{cite news|title=Finally, BJP announces Advani as PM candidate|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/the-week-that-was/finally-bjp-announces-advani-as-pm-candidate/articleshow/2625253.cms|access-date=6 August 2020|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328174320/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/the-week-that-was/finally-bjp-announces-advani-as-pm-candidate/articleshow/2625253.cms|url-status=live}}</ref>

Though Advani won his sixth term in Lok Sabha, the BJP lost to Congress and its allies in the [[2009 Indian general election|2009 general elections]], allowing then incumbent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to continue in office. Following the defeat in the elections, L. K. Advani handed over the position of leader of opposition to [[Sushma Swaraj]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8421132.stm|title=New India opposition leader named|work=[[BBC News]]|date=18 December 2009|access-date=27 April 2014|archive-date=23 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423012542/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8421132.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news  |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/article67005.ece |title=Advani quits as Leader of Opposition  |access-date=18 December 2009|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=18 December 2009 |last1=Vyas|first1=Neena |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219182548/http://www.thehindu.com/news/article67005.ece  |archive-date=19 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> He was elected working chairman of the [[National Democratic Alliance]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|date=22 February 2010|title=NDA elects Advani 'working chairman'|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/nda-elects-advani-working-chairman/story-aO8FS7uLOopcwWwOrojczL.html|access-date=3 February 2021|work=Hindustan Times|language=en|archive-date=15 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615111520/https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/nda-elects-advani-working-chairman/story-aO8FS7uLOopcwWwOrojczL.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Advani contested the [[2014 Indian general election|2014 general election]] from Gandhinagar, winning for the fifth consecutive time. Later he was part of the ''Marg Darshak Mandal'' (vision committee) of the BJP along with [[Murli Manohar Joshi]] and [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/no-advani-joshi-vajpayee-in-bjp-parliamentary-board-party-makes-marg-darshak-mandal-for-them/494440-37-64.html|title="No Advani, Joshi, Vajpayee in BJP Parliamentary Board, party makes Marg Darshak Mandal for them"|date=29 August 2014|work=IBN Live|access-date=26 August 2014|archive-date=29 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829023013/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/no-advani-joshi-vajpayee-in-bjp-parliamentary-board-party-makes-marg-darshak-mandal-for-them/494440-37-64.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Elections contested==
===Lok Sabha===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
! Year
! Constituency
! colspan="2"|Party
! Votes
! %
! Opponent
! colspan="2" |<small>Opponent party</small>
! <small>Opponent votes</small>
!  %
! Result
! Margin
! %
|-
! [[1989 Indian general election|1989]]
| rowspan="2"|[[New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency|New Delhi]]
| {{Party name with color|Bharatiya Janata Party|rowspan=8}}
| 129,256
| 55.54
| <small>[[V. Mohini Giri]]</small>
| {{Party name with color|Indian National Congress|rowspan=8}}
| 97,415
| 41.85
| {{yes2|Won}}
| 31,841
| 13.69
|-
! rowspan="2"|[[1991 Indian general election|1991]]
| 93,662
| 43.4
| <small>[[Rajesh Khanna]]</small>
| 92,073
| 42.66
| {{yes2|Won}}
| 1,589
| 0.74
|-
| rowspan="6"|[[Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency|Gandhinagar]]
| 356,902
| 57.97
| <small>G. I. Patel</small>
| 231,223
| 37.56
| {{yes2|Won}}
| 125,679
| 20.41
|-
! [[1998 Indian general election|1998]]
| 541,340
| 59.86
| <small>P. K. Datta</small>
| 264,639
| 29.26
| {{yes2|Won}}
| 276,701
| 30.6
|-
! [[1999 Indian general election|1999]]
| 453,299
| 61.14
| <small>[[T. N. Seshan]]</small>
| 264,285
| 35.65
| {{yes2|Won}}
| 189,014
| 25.49
|-
! [[2004 Indian general election|2004]]
| 516,120
| 61.04
| <small>[[Gabhaji Mangaji Thakor]]</small>
| 298,982
| 35.36
| {{yes2|Won}}
| 217,138
| 25.68
|-
! [[2009 Indian general election|2009]]
| 434,044
| 54.89
| <small>Sureshkumar Chaturdas Patel</small>
| 312,297
| 39.49
| {{yes2|Won}}
| 121,747
| 15.4
|-
! [[2014 Indian general election|2014]]
| 773,539
| 68.12
| <small>Kiritbhai Ishvarbhai Patel</small>
| 290,418
| 25.58
| {{yes2|Won}}
| 483,121
| 42.54
|}

===Rajya Sabha===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Election
! colspan="2" |Party
! Constituency
! From
! To
! Tenure
|-
| [[1970 Rajya Sabha elections|1970]]
| {{Party name with color|Bharatiya Jana Sangh|rowspan=2}}
| [[Delhi]]
| 3 April 1970
| 2 April 1976
| {{ayd|1970|4|3|1976|4|2}}
|-
| [[1976 Rajya Sabha elections|1976]]
| [[Gujarat]]
| 3 April 1976
| 2 April 1982
| {{ayd|1976|4|3|1982|4|2}}
|-
| [[1982 Rajya Sabha elections|1982]]
| {{Party name with color|Bharatiya Janata Party|rowspan=2}}
| rowspan="2"|[[Madhya Pradesh]]
| 3 April 1982
| 2 April 1988
| {{ayd|1982|4|3|1988|4|2}}
|-
| [[1988 Rajya Sabha elections|1988]]
| 3 April 1988
| 27 November 1989
| {{ayd|1988|4|3|1989|11|27}}
|}

== Positions held ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Positions held
|-
! Position !! Duration
|-
| Member, [[List of committees of the Parliament of India#Ad hoc committees|Joint Parliamentary Committee on Maintenance of<br>Heritage Character and Development of Parliament House Complex]]|| October 2014 – May 2019
|-
| Chairperson, Committee on Ethics || 15 September 2014 – 25 May 2019
|-
| Member, Standing Committee on Information Technology || 1 September 2014 – 25 May 2019
|-
| Member, [[Committee on Public Undertakings]] || August 2014 – May 2019
|-
| Member, [[16th Lok Sabha]] || June 2014 – May 2019 (7th term)
|-
| Member, Joint Parliamentary Committee on Maintenance of<br>Heritage Character and Development of Parliament House Complex || December 2009
|-
| Member, [[Standing Committee on Home Affairs]] || August 2009
|-
| Member, Committee on Installation of Portraits/Statues of National<br>Leaders and Parliamentarians in Parliament House Complex || August 2009
|-
| [[Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha|Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha]] || May–December 2009
|-
| Member, [[15th Lok Sabha]] || Re-elected in 2009 (6th term)
|-
| Member, Standing Committee on Home Affairs || August 2006 – May 2009
|-
| Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha || Unspecified
|-
| [[14th Lok Sabha|Member, 14th Lok Sabha]] || Re-elected in 2004 (5th term)
|-
| [[Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions|Minister, Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances]]<br>(additional charge) || January 2003 – May 2004
|-
| [[Ministry of Coal|Minister, Coal and Mines]] (additional charge) || July–August 2002
|-
| [[Deputy Prime Minister of India|Deputy Prime Minister]] || June 2002 – May 2004
|-
| [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Minister, Home Affairs]] || October 1999 – May 2004
|-
| Member, [[13th Lok Sabha]] || Re-elected in 1999 (4th term)
|-
| Chairman, Committee on Official Language || Unspecified
|-
| Minister, Home Affairs || 1998–1999
|-
| Member, [[12th Lok Sabha]] || Re-elected in 1998 (3rd term)
|-
| President, [[BJP]] || 1993–1998
|-
| Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha || 1991–1993
|-
| Member, [[10th Lok Sabha]] || Re-elected in 1991 (2nd term)
|-
| Chairman, Committee of Parliament on Pay and Allowances || April–May 1990
|-
| Chairman, Committee to Review the Lok Sabha Secretariat || 1990–1991
|-
| Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha || Unspecified
|-
| Leader, BJP parliamentary party, Lok Sabha || 1989–1991
|-
| Member, [[9th Lok Sabha]] || Elected in 1989
|-
| Member, [[Rajya Sabha]] || Re-elected in 1988 (4th term)
|-
| President, BJP || 1986–1991
|-
| Member, Rajya Sabha || Re-elected in 1982 (3rd term)
|-
| Leader, BJP, Rajya Sabha || Unspecified
|-
| General Secretary, BJP || 1980–1986
|-
| [[Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha|Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha]] || January–April 1980
|-
| Minister, [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]] || 1977–1979
|-
| [[Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha|Leader of the House, Rajya Sabha]] || March 1977 – August 1979
|-
|General Secretary, [[Janata Party]] || 1977–1980
|-
| Member, Rajya Sabha || Re-elected in 1976 (2nd term)
|-
| Leader, [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh|BJS]], Rajya Sabha || 1974–1976
|-
| President, BJS || 1973–1977
|-
| Member, Rajya Sabha || Elected in 1970
|-
| President, BJS, Delhi || 1970–1972
|-
| Chairman, [[Delhi Metropolitan Council]] || 1967–1970
|-
| Leader, BJS, Interim Metropolitan Council || 1966–1967
|-
| Secretary, [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]], Karachi || 1947
|}

==Awards and honours==
[[File:Bharat Ratna Shri Lal Krishna Advani.jpg|thumb|Advani receiving the [[Bharat Ratna]] award in 2024]]

*{{flag|India}}:
**[[File:Bharat Ratna Ribbon.svg|50px]] [[Bharat Ratna]] (9 February 2024)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/lk-advani-to-receive-bharat-ratna-pm-modi/articleshow/107379045.cms?from=mdr|title=LK Advani to receive Bharat Ratna|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=3 February 2023|access-date=3 February 2023|archive-date=3 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203065313/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/lk-advani-to-receive-bharat-ratna-pm-modi/articleshow/107379045.cms?from=mdr|url-status=live}}</ref>
**[[File:Padma Vibhushan Ribbon.svg|50px]] [[Padma Vibhushan]] (2015)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/advani-bachchan-dilip-kumar-get-padma-vibhushan/article6821421.ece|title=Advani, Bachchan, Dilip Kumar get Padma Vibhushan|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=25 January 2015|access-date=3 February 2023|archive-date=20 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120063253/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/advani-bachchan-dilip-kumar-get-padma-vibhushan/article6821421.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* ''A Prisoner's Scrap-Book'' (2002) {{ISBN|978-81-88322-10-7}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Advani, L. K., 1927-|title=A prisoner's scrap-book|date=2002|publisher=Ocean Books|isbn=81-88322-10-5|location=New Delhi|oclc=51752185}}</ref>
* ''New Approaches to Security and Development'' (2003) {{ISBN|978-981-230-219-9}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Advani, L. K., 1927-|title=New approaches to security and development|date=2003|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|others=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.|isbn=978-981-230-614-2|location=Singapore|oclc=867796807}}</ref>
* ''[[My Country My Life]]'' (2008) {{ISBN|978-81-291-1363-4}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Advani, L. K., 1927–|title=My country my life|date=2008|publisher=Rupa & Co|isbn=978-81-291-1363-4|location=New Delhi|oclc=221287960}}</ref>
* ''[[As I See It]]: LK Advani's Blog Posts'' (2011) {{ISBN|978-81-291-1876-9}}<ref>{{cite book|title="As I See it: LK Advani's Blog Posts"|isbn=978-81-291-1876-9 |last1=Advani |first1=L. K. |date=2011 |publisher=Rupa & Company }}</ref>
* Nazarband Loktantra (2016) {{ISBN|81-7315-399-X}} <ref>{{cite book|last=Āḍavāṇī, Lālakrishńa.|title=Nazarbaṇda lokataṇtra|date=2002|publisher=Prabht̄a Prakāśana|isbn=81-7315-399-X|location=Dill ̄|oclc=50640962}}</ref>
* Drishtikon (2016) {{ISBN|978-93-5048-142-4}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Advani, L. K., 1927-|title=Dr̥shṭikoṇa : blôga para bāteṃ|year=2012|isbn=978-93-5048-142-4|edition=Saṃskaraṇa prathama|location=Dillī|oclc=823027286}}</ref>
* Rashtra Sarvopari (2014) {{ISBN|978-93-5048-549-1}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Advani, L. K., 1927-|title=Rāshṭra sarvopari|date=January 2014|isbn=978-93-5048-549-1|edition=Saṃskaraṇa prathama|location=Dillī|oclc=904246754}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Electoral history of L. K. Advani]]

==References==
{{reflist|3}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|40em}} 
* Atmaram Kulkarni. ''The Advent of Advani: An Authentic Critical Biography'' (1995). (Hardcover) {{ISBN|978-81-85345-22-2}}.
* Sudheendra Kulkarni. ''Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra: The story of Lal Krishna Advani's patriotic pilgrimage'' (1997). ASIN: B0000CPBO7.
* Pentagon Press. ''Lal Krishna Advani: Today's Patel'' (2002). (Paperback) {{ISBN|978-81-86830-57-4}}.
* Gulab Vazirani: ''Lal Advani, the Man and his Mission'' (1991)
* G. Katyal, K. Bhushan. ''Lal Krishna Advani: Deputy Prime Minister''. (Hardcover) ASIN: B001G6MAZA
* Pentagon Press. ''Lala Krishna Advani'' (2007). (Paperback) {{ISBN|978-81-86830-59-8}}.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{commons category}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Indrajit Gupta]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister for Home Affairs (India)|Minister of Home Affairs]]|years=1998–2004}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Shivraj Patil]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Chaudhary Devi Lal]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Deputy Prime Minister of India]]|years=2002–04}}
{{s-vac}}
{{s-end}}

{{Home Ministry (India)}}
{{Energy Ministries and Departments of India}}
{{Ministers of Information and Broadcasting}}
{{Indian Emergency}}
{{Bharatiya Janata Party}}
{{Padma Vibhushan Awards}}
{{Bharat Ratna}}
{{Fascism}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Advani, Lal Krishna}}
[[Category:L. K. Advani| ]]
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian deputy prime ministers]]
[[Category:Presidents of Bharatiya Janata Party]]
[[Category:Bharatiya Jana Sangh politicians]]
[[Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Leaders of the opposition (India)]]
[[Category:Ministers of internal affairs of India]]
[[Category:Ministers for information and broadcasting of India]]
[[Category:Coal ministers of India]]
[[Category:India MPs 1989–1991]]
[[Category:India MPs 1991–1996]]
[[Category:India MPs 1998–1999]]
[[Category:India MPs 1999–2004]]
[[Category:India MPs 2004–2009]]
[[Category:India MPs 2009–2014]]
[[Category:India MPs 2014–2019]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Delhi]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Delhi]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Indian people imprisoned during the Emergency (India)]]
[[Category:St. Patrick's High School, Karachi alumni]]
[[Category:University of Mumbai alumni]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]
[[Category:Indian Sindhi people]]
[[Category:Politicians from Karachi]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian biographers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in public affairs]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna]]
[[Category:Indian autobiographers]]
[[Category:Sindhi politicians]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from the Bharatiya Janata Party]]
[[Category:Sindhi Hindus]]