BJP celebrates Advani’s birthday with puja, havan; leaders praise his role in Indian politics

In this picture taken on November 7, 2026, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture ahead of Bharat Ratna LK Advani’s 99th birthday at Puri Beach in Odisha. Photo: Flyer via PTI Photo

The BJP celebrated party veteran and former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani’s 99th birthday with a puja and havan at its headquarters on Sunday (November 8, 2026) as several leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, praised his contributions to Indian politics.

Coinciding with Deepavali, the event was organized to commemorate Mr Advani’s life, devotion to the nation, organizational contributions and long public career, the BJP said.

Several party leaders, including Mr. Advani’s daughter Pratibha Advani and BJP president Nitin Nabin, attended the event.

The puja and havan was followed by the screening of a 20-minute video highlighting key speeches and episodes from Mr. Advani’s life. There were also presentations with speeches by leading representatives who reflected on his contribution and significant moments of his political journey.

In an op-ed, Mr Modi said the two qualities that set the BJP patriarch apart were his ideological clarity and intellectual acuity, apart from his ability to expose what he described as pseudo-secularism propagated by much of the Indian establishment.

Mr. Modi also said that Mr. Advani and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had created a remarkable example of cooperation and together changed the course of Indian politics.

In a post on X, Mr. Nabin described Mr. Advani as a guide for all and credited him for making an unforgettable contribution to the expansion of the organization, from the Jana Sangh to the BJP, taking the nationalist ideology to every citizen and turning the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement into a mass movement.

“Your integrity in public life and unwavering commitment to the organization will always be a source of inspiration to all BJP workers,” Mr. Nabin said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah described Mr Advani as “a symbol of service to the nation, an architect of the BJP and a principled statesman”.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said Advani had set new standards of integrity, dedication and leadership during his public life.

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal described him as an “extraordinary example of loyalty to the nation, steadfastness in his convictions and dedication to the organisation”.

Published – November 8, 2026 12:25 PM IST