Lal Krishna Advani was born on 8 November 1927 in Karachi. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the age of fourteen. In September 1947, he left Karachi amidst the tragedy surrounding Partition. His political journey began in 1951, when Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Jana Sangh. The party's chief organizer, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, greatly influenced the shaping of Advani's future ideologies. Advani was elected president of the Jana Sangh in 1973. He was jailed for nineteenth months during the Emergency, along with thousands of pro-democracy activists who fought under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan. Advani was the Information and Broadcasting Minister in the Janata Party government between 1977 and 1979. He was also the BJP's longest serving president since its inception in 1980. He also served as Home Minister (1998-2004) and Deputy Prime Minister (2002-2004) in the Vajpayee Government. He has been a member of Parliament since 1970 and is a recipient of the award for 'Outstanding Parliamentarian'. L.K. Advani is respected as a national leader who combines intellectualism, integrity and mass appeal.