BJP plans special event on Advani’s 99th birthday

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has organized a special event to mark party founder Lal Krishna Advani's 99th birthday on Sunday, according to sources familiar with the plans. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the gathering, which will also feature a religious ceremony known as a havan at the party's headquarters.

Party president Nitin Nabin will host the event, with senior leaders who have had long-standing connections to the BJP stalwart in attendance. Advani, born in Karachi during India's undivided era, has been honored with the country's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. He served as a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological foundation of the BJP, and held various roles within the party, including deputy prime minister.

Advani's political career began in 1951 when he joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which later evolved into the BJP. As the face of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement, he occupied several key positions within the party, including party president. Elected to the Lok Sabha seven times and serving four terms in the Upper House, Advani was appointed to the Margdarshak Mandal, a council of advisors, in 2014 alongside Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Murli Manohar Joshi following the BJP's landslide victory.