L. K. Advani

Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a long time member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a volunteer organisation. He is also the longest serving Minister of Home Affairs in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government from 1998 to 2004. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the 10th Lok Sabha and 14th Lok Sabha and also the longest serving person of this post. He was also the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP in 2009. Advani began his political career as a volunteer of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a volunteer organisation. He, along with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is credited for rise of the BJP from 2 seats in 1984 to 182 seats in 1998. In 2015 he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour. He has held numerous positions in his career. Early and personal life L. K. Advani was born in Karachi, Sindh, British India in a Sindhi Hindu family of businessmen to parents Kishanchand D. Advani and Gyani Devi. He completed his early schooling from Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi, Sindh and then enrolled in Government College Hyderabad, Sindh. His family migrated to India during Partition and settled down in Bombay, where he graduated in Law from the Government Law College of the Bombay University, where he became friends with Deewan Parmanand Gangwani, and considered him, Ram Jethmalani and A.K Brohi the best lawyers produced by Government Law College. L. K. Advani married Kamla Advani in February 1965. He has a son, Jayant, and a daughter, Pratibha. Pratibha Advani produces TV serial shows, and also supports her father in his political activities. His wife died on 6 April 2016 due to old age. Despite no longer being an MP, Advani lives in an official bungalow in Delhi due to security considerations, as of June 2019.