BJP Veteran LK Advani, 98, Admitted to Delhi Hospital With Chest Infection

BJP veteran and former Deputy Prime Minister of India LK Advani, aged 98, was admitted to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi on Friday evening after developing a chest infection. Hospital officials confirmed he is in stable condition and under observation by a medical team. This is his third hospitalisation at the same facility in recent months, following admissions for age-related health complications in May 2025 and an ICU stay in December 2024. Advani, who served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2002 to 2004 under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and received the Bharat Ratna in 2024, remains one of the most noted figures in the BJP's political history.

LK Advani, a long-standing figure within the BJP whose political career encompassed the party's ascent to national-level power and a stint as Deputy Prime Minister between 2002 and 2004, was taken to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi on Friday after developing a chest infection. Taken to the hospital by around 7:30 that evening, the 98-year-old was placed under care in the pulmonary ward.

Doctors kept him under close watch and ran a battery of tests, while the hospital reported his condition had stabilised. Two prior admissions to Apollo Hospital had already taken place before this most recent stay. A hospitalisation earlier in the year kept Advani under medical observation for several days before he was cleared to return home, with doctors attending to health concerns linked to his age.

Doctors are keeping watch over Advani's condition as he undergoes treatment for a chest infection. He remains under medical observation as testing moves forward to establish a diagnosis. According to a statement from the facility, the patient's condition has remained steady.

Admitted to the intensive care unit at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Advani received diagnostic assessments and medical treatment throughout that December 2024 period. A neurologist oversaw his care, and the facility treating him reported his condition as stable. A spokesperson for the hospital announced on 17 December 2024 that Advani's health had shown signs of improvement, with a move out of the ICU expected within the following day or two.

Born in Karachi on 8 November 1927 — in what would become Pakistani territory — LK Advani went on to occupy a central role in shaping the BJP across several decades of the party's growth. On more than one occasion, he took on the role of party president, and during those tenures he worked to expand and consolidate the organisation's reach throughout the country.

The Ram Rath Yatra he led in 1990 marked a turning point that broadened the BJP's reach across the political landscape. A two-year stint as Deputy Prime Minister of India, working alongside Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, defined a notable chapter of his career between 2002 and 2004. Throughout his time in public life, Advani held a range of portfolio responsibilities, with the Home Affairs ministry among the posts assigned to him.

In 2024, the Bharat Ratna — the nation's foremost civilian honour — was conferred upon Advani in recognition of his decades of service to Indian public life. The Padma Vibhushan, one of India's foremost civilian honours, was conferred on him in 2015.

Advani, now 98, holds a place in the BJP's organisational structure and features in accounts of the party's political development. From the party's early organisational growth through to its establishment as a force on the national stage, his record of service extended into years spent inside the Union Government. Doctors at Apollo Hospital are managing a chest infection he developed, and those familiar with his condition say he is holding steady.