L K Advani, 98, admitted to Delhi's Apollo Hospital with chest infection, condition stable

Former Deputy Prime Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani, 98, has been admitted to Apollo Hospital in Delhi with a chest infection. He was taken to the hospital at about 7:30 pm on Friday, October 16. Age-related health problems were also cited as a reason for the treatment.

Advani is under the care of the pulmonary department at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, which handles diseases of the lungs and breathing. Doctors are carrying out the necessary tests, and a team is watching his health closely. His condition is described as stable for now. Given his age, the doctors are giving him special attention. No further medical details about his treatment have come out so far, and the hospital is expected to share more information in due course.

Advani normally lives at his home at 30, Prithviraj Road in Delhi. This is not his first stay in hospital in recent times. In May 2026 he was admitted to Apollo Hospital for age-related problems and was discharged after a few days of treatment and monitoring. He was admitted before that in 2024 as well. In December 2024 he was put in the ICU of the same hospital, and at that time the admission was reported to be for medical tests. News of his latest admission has raised concern among his supporters and in political circles.

A few days before he was admitted, on October 7, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Advani at his home in Delhi. Modi enquired after his health and sought his blessings, and the visit was linked to the completion of 25 years of public service. After the meeting, the Prime Minister praised Advani's contribution to public life.

Advani founded the BJP in 1980 along with Atal Bihari Vajpayee and served the longest as its president. Under him, the party rose from two seats in 1984 to 182 in 1998. He entered the Lok Sabha in 1989 and was a seven-time MP until he retired in 2019, representing Gandhinagar for most of that period. Amit Shah has since contested from that seat. Advani has not fought any election since 2019.

In the National Democratic Alliance government led by Vajpayee, Advani was Union Home Minister from 1998 to 2004 and Deputy Prime Minister from 2002 to 2004. In 2024 he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour. He is a member of the party's Margdarshak Mandal but is seen less often at public events because of his health.

Advani is also an author. His autobiography is My Country My Life, published in 2008. A Prisoner's Scrap-Book and Dastavez are among his other books. Official information on his health is awaited while his treatment continues under the doctors' supervision.