Lal Krishna Advani has been one of the most powerful and influential Indian politicians and is a former Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani was the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is credited with turning BJP into a significant force in Indian politics. He was also the Leader of the Opposition in the 10th Lok Sabha and 14th Lok Sabha. Lal Krishna Advani, the former President of the BJP, was widely regarded as the most powerful person in a country of over one billion people.

Early Life of Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Kishanchand Advani, also known as Lal Krishna Advani, was born on 8th November 1927 to Kishichand D. Advani and Gyani Devi, in Goregaon, Sindh, in British India. Advani studied at Saint Patrick`s High School, in Karachi (now in Pakistan) and later joined the D.G. National College in Hyderabad, Sindh. He completed his graduation in Law from the Government Law College, Bombay University.

Political Career of Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Krishna Advani joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1947 as the Sangh`s Karachi branch secretary. L.K Advani was actively involved in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and was elected on the ticket of that party from 1970 to 1975. From 1970 to 1989, he was a member of the Rajya Sabha and held the post of Information and Broadcasting Minister in the Janata Party Government in 1977. In the year 1980, Advani was the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, upper house of the Indian Parliament. He was elected to Lok Sabha as the Leader of Opposition, the lower house of the Indian Parliament in 1991 to 1993. He has served as the Home Minister in the Indian Cabinet from 1998 to 2004. He became Deputy Prime Minister in the Indian cabinet from 1999 to 2004. Advani announced on 18th September 2005 that after the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the party he would step down as party president. Thereafter at the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the BJP in Mumbai in December, 2005, Lal Krishna Advani stepped down and Rajnath Singh, a mass leader from Uttar Pradesh was installed as BJP President.

In December 2007, BJP officially declared that Lal Krishna Advani would be its principal ministerial candidate for the 2009 General Elections. But the Indian National Congress party gained victory in the 2009 General election and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh continued in office. After the defeat, Advani gave way to Sushma Swaraj to be the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Positions held during his tenure
* 1947Secretary, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (R.S.S.), Karachi
* 1966-67Leader, Bharatiya Jana Sangh (B.J.S.), Interim Metropolitan Council
* 1967-70 Chairman, Metropolitan Council, Delhi
* 1970-72President, Bhartiya Jana Sangh, Delhi1970Elected to Rajya Sabha
* 1973-77President, B.J.S
* 1974-76 Leader, B.J.S., Rajya Sabha
* 1976 Re-elected to Rajya Sabha (2nd term)
* 1977-80 General-Secretary, Janata Party
* 1977-79 Union Cabinet Minister, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Leader of the House, Rajya Sabha
* Apr. 1980 Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha
* 1980-86General-Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party (B.J.P.) Leader, B.J.P., Rajya Sabha 1982 Re-elected to Rajya Sabha (3rd term)
* 1986-91 President, B.J.P
* 1988 Re-elected to Rajya Sabha (4th term)
* 1989 Elected to 9th Lok Sabha
* 1989-91Leader, B.J.P. Parliamentary Party, Lok SabhaLeader of Opposition, Lok Sabha
* 1990-91Chairman, Committee to Review the Lok Sabha Secretariat (Recruitment and Conditions of Service Rules,
* 1955 Apr.-May 1990 Chairman, 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
* 1991 Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
* 1991-93 Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha
* 1993-98 President, Bharatiya Janata Party
* 1998 Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (3rd term)
* 1998-99 Union Cabinet Minister, Home Affairs Chairman, Committee on Official Language
* 1999 Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (4th term)
* 13 Oct. 1999 - May 2 Union Cabinet Minister, Home Affairs
* 29 Jun. 2002 - May 2 Deputy Prime Minister
* 1 Jul. 2002 - 25 Aug Union Cabinet Minister, Coal and Mines (Additional Charge)
* 29 Jan. 2003 - 21 May Union Cabinet Minister, Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances (Additional Charge)
* 2004 Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha (5th term) Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha
* 5 Aug. 2006 - May 20Member, Committee on Home Affairs
* 2009 Re-elected to 15th Lok Sabha (6th term)
* May 2009 - 21 Dec. 2 Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha
* 4 Aug. 2009 Member, Committee on Installation of Potraits/Statues of National Leaders and Parliamentarians in Parliament House Complex
* 31 Aug. 2009 Member, Committee on Home Affairs
* 15 Dec. 2009 Member, Joint Parliamentary Committee on Maintenance of Heritage Character and Development of Parliament House Complex

Other activities of Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Krishna Advani had also been associated with several other activities. He had been the Member, (i) Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS), 1942 onwards; (ii) Press Council of India, 1990; conferred Outstanding Parliamentarian Award, 1999 by Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG). He had also organised the work of R.S.S. in Alwar, Bharatpur, Kota, Bundi and Jhalawar, 1947-51.

Personal Life of Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Krishna Advani is married and has 2 children, a son and a daughter, Pratibha.

Advani remains the Iron Man of Indian politics who brought Hindu nationalism to the centre stage of national polity in the eyes of his supporters, which propelled his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to power in Delhi.