BJP veteran Malhotra dies at 93

Vijay Kumar Malhotra, a BJP stalwart and one of the few surviving politicians of the Jan Sangh era, passed away at the age of 93 at the AIIMS-Delhi on Tuesday morning, the hospital confirmed.

Malhotra, a former MP and first president of the BJP’s Delhi unit, was undergoing medical treatment at the AIIMS for the past few days.

He breathed his last around 6 am on Tuesday, a day after the Prime Minister inaugurated the Delhi BJP office and highlighted his contribution in shaping the party in the national capital from the Jan Sangh era to the inception of the BJP.

He served as the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly from 2008-13 and was projected as the party’s chief ministerial face in the 2008 Assembly elections, which was won by the Congress and Sheila Dikshit continued as the Chief Minister.

A five-time MP and two-time MLA from Delhi, Malhotra defeated former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was a Congress candidate from South Delhi in the 1999 Lok Sabha polls. Singh went on to become Prime Minister in 2004.

Malhotra was the only BJP candidate to win a seat in Delhi in the 2004 general elections that resulted in the exit of the BJP-led NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

He was the president of the Bhartiya Jan Sangh in Delhi from 1972 to 1975, as well as the first Delhi BJP chief after the party’s inception in 1980.

Malhotra was born in Lahore, Punjab, (now in Pakistan), on December 3, 1931, but his family had to migrate to Delhi after partition. A doctorate in Hindi literature, he administered chess and archery clubs in Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the demise of Malhotra, calling him an “outstanding leader” who had a deep understanding of people’s issues.

In a post on X, the PM said: “I am deeply saddened by the passing of BJP’s senior leader Shri Vijay Kumar Malhotra, who remained dedicated to public service throughout his life. He was a leader connected to the grassroots, with a deep understanding of the people’s issues. He played a crucial role in strengthening the party in Delhi. He will always be remembered for his activism and contributions in Parliament. In this hour of grief, my deepest condolences to his family members and well-wishers. Om Shanti!”

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta called Malhotra the “guardian of all our karyakartas” and said his death is “an extremely painful and irreparable loss”.

“From the days of the Jan Sangh to the establishment of the BJP, his life remained a living example of nationalism, organisational skills and discipline. As the first president of the Delhi BJP, he strengthened the foundation of the organisation and guided countless workers on the path of service and dedication. His demise has left a deep void not only in the BJP family but also in social life at large,” she said in an X post in Hindi.