When did Lal Krishna Advani contest his first Lok Sabha election and who almost defeated him in 1991?
Lal Krishna Advani birthday: In the 1991 general elections, Lal Krishna Advani contested from two seats: Gandhinagar in Gujarat and New Delhi. His main rival in New Delhi was the legendary Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna, who had entered politics with the Congress party.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other party leaders extended heartfelt birthday wishes to senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal Krishna Advani who turned 98 on Saturday (November 8). PM Modi praised Advani as a leader endowed with a towering vision and intellect, dedicating his life to India’s progress. Modi prayed for Advani’s long life and good health, admiring his spirit of selfless duty and unwavering principles.
Lal Krishna Advani, one of the founding figures of BJP, began his Lok Sabha career in 1989 after years in the Rajya Sabha and as a key leader of the BJP and its predecessor, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He ran from the high-profile New Delhi constituency and won against V Mohini Giri of the Congress party, marking a significant entry into India’s primary legislative body.
The dramatic 1991 election: Actor vs Politician
For the 1991 general elections, Advani chose to contest two seats- Gandhinagar in Gujarat and New Delhi. In New Delhi, his main rival was none other than Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna, who had entered politics with the Congress party. The contest drew national attention for its star power and for how close it became, with Rajesh Khanna almost defeating Advani in a tightly fought battle.
Advani ultimately won both seats, but regulations required that he vacate one; he chose to retain Gandhinagar and left the New Delhi seat, ending one of the most talked-about electoral face-offs of that election cycle.
Reflecting on Advani’s political journey, it is notable that in the 1991 general elections, he won the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat by a narrow margin of just 1,589 votes, narrowly defeating the popular actor Rajesh Khanna- a testament to the hard-fought nature of that victory and Advani’s resilient political presence.
Why the 1991 contest was historic?
The 1991 contest between Advani and Rajesh Khanna combined political heft and cinematic glamour, turning the New Delhi seat into the epicenter of public attention. Advani’s narrow escape demonstrated both his electoral strength and the challenge of running against a celebrity in Indian politics.
Legacy of Advani’s Lok Sabha debut and 1991 victory
Advani went on to represent Gandhinagar for several subsequent terms, becoming one of the defining leaders of modern Indian politics. His experiences from these early Lok Sabha elections set the tone for his long parliamentary career.
Key leadership in BJP formation and rise
Following the Emergency, Advani helped merge the Jana Sangh into the Janata Party and later became a founding member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1980, alongside Atal Bihari Vajpayee. As the longest-serving BJP president, Advani transformed the party from a marginal force to a major national player, increasing its Lok Sabha seats from just two in 1984 to a formidable 182 in 1998.
Parliamentary and ministerial career
Advani was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1970 and served four terms until 1989. From 1989 onward, he won seven terms in the Lok Sabha, notably representing the Gandhinagar constituency until his retirement in 2019.
He played pivotal roles in the government-
- Served as Home Minister from 1998 to 2004.
- Served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2002 to 2004 under Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Instrumental in the Pokhran-II nuclear tests, the launch of the Lahore bus service, the Kargil War response, the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), and the formation of the National Security Council and National Investigation Agency.
Political philosophy and national impact
Advani is admired for his unyielding commitment to nationalism and parliamentary democracy. His oratory, ideological clarity, and organisational skills nurtured a generation of political leaders, including Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley, and Sushma Swaraj. His leadership was central to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) formation and growth. The BJP veteran has not been keeping well for some time now, and had been hospitalised in the recent past.