Veteran BJP leader VK Malhotra passes away at 93

Bharatiya Janata Party’s veteran leader Professor Vijay Kumar Malhotra breathed his last during the early hours on Tuesday in New Delhi, the party said. He was 93.

Former MP and one of the prominent leaders of the saffron party, Malhotra, was receiving medical treatment at the AIIMS for the past few days. He breathed his last at around 6 am.

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“With deep sorrow, we inform you that the senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party and the first president of Delhi BJP, Professor Vijay Kumar Malhotra, passed away this morning,” Delhi unit chief of the BJP, Virendra Sachdeva, said.

Sachdeva reached the veteran leader’s residence in the morning and offered his condolences to the bereaved family.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Malhotra’s residence and met the family members, and paid his respects to the mortal remains of the veteran leader.

The PM also posted his condolences on social media, stating, “Shri Vijay Kumar Malhotra Ji distinguished himself as an outstanding leader, who had a very good understanding of people’s issues. He played a vital role in strengthening our Party in Delhi. He is also remembered for his Parliamentary interventions. Pained by his passing away. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”

Senior leaders of the BJP, including National President JP Nadda, Baijayant Panda, and others, reached Malhotra’s official residence located at Gurudwara Rakabganj Road and paid respects to the departed leader.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta laid a wreath as a mark of respect to the veteran leader who had played a prominent role in Delhi’s development during his tenure as Chief Executive Councilor in 1967.

Delhi Cabinet Ministers Parvesh Verma and Ashish Sood, MPs Bansuri Swaraj and Kamaljeet Sehrawat, and MLAs also reached Malhotra’s residence and offered their condolences.

Meanwhile, CM Gupta has also postponed all her official programmes for the day.

The cremation will take place on Wednesday afternoon at the Lodhi cremation ground. Before that, the mortal remains of the deceased leader will be kept at the Delhi BJP office at 14 Pandit Pant Marg around noon so that party workers and others can pay their last tributes.

Malhotra had a long and very important political innings and was the first president of the BJP’s Delhi unit.

The veteran leader had served as the leader of the opposition in the Delhi assembly and was also projected as the BJP’s CM face during the 2008 assembly polls; however, the Congress retained power.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has postponed events that had been scheduled for the day.

Taking to social media platform X, Minister Parvesh Verma stated, “Due to the demise of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and our guide, Shri Vijay Kumar Malhotra ji, the proposed DJB function at Keshopur STP, which was to be done by Hon’ble Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah ji today, has been postponed. The new date for the program will be announced shortly. We all together pay our heartfelt tribute to the departed soul.”

Born on December 3, 1931, in Lahore, Punjab, now in Pakistan, Malhotra will be fondly remembered as an Indian politician and a sports administrator.

He was elected president of Delhi Pradesh Jana Sangh (1972-75) and twice the president of Bharatiya Janata Party Delhi Pradesh (1977-80, 1980-84).