LK Advani admitted to Delhi hospital with chest infection, condition stable

Former deputy prime minister and founding BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani has been admitted to Apollo Hospital in New Delhi after developing a chest infection. Hospital officials confirmed that his condition is stable.

The 98-year-old veteran statesman was brought to the hospital at around 7:30 pm on Friday evening. He was admitted directly to the pulmonary department, where a dedicated team of medical specialists is monitoring his recovery and administering treatment.

Advani has faced intermittent age-related health challenges in recent months. He was previously admitted to Apollo Hospital in May for routine geriatric care and observation, returning home after a brief hospital stay. Throughout 2024, he received medical attention on several occasions at both Apollo Hospital and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, including a spell in intensive care before being discharged on 25 December of that year.

His latest hospital admission follows a recent visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called on Advani at his residence on 7 October to seek his blessings on marking 25 continuous years serving as a head of government. Modi, who first assumed office as Chief Minister of Gujarat on 7 October 2001 before leading the central government from 2014, praised Advani’s decades of dedicated public service and its lasting foundation for national development.

Advani was conferred with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in March 2024. President Droupadi Murmu presented the prestigious award at his residence in the presence of the Prime Minister and other senior national dignitaries, recognising his seminal role in shaping modern Indian governance and political life.

Born in Karachi in 1927, Advani relocated to India during Partition in 1947. He became one of the central architects of the Bharatiya Janata Party, serving three terms as party president. He held key ministerial portfolios in the central government, serving as Union Home Minister and as Deputy Prime Minister between 2002 and 2004 during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration. Doctors at the hospital have indicated that he will remain under observation until the chest infection clears.