Vijay Kumar Malhotra passes away: From Lahore to first Delhi BJP chief; a look at the veteran parliamentarian’s life

Delhi BJP said in a statement, experienced BJP leader and the first president of the Delhi unit of the party Vijay Kumar Malhotra’nın died on Tuesday morning, he said. He was 94 years old.

Born in Lahore, Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan) on December 3, 1931, Malhotra emigrated to India after the division and became a central figure in the political landscape of Delhi.

The fourth of the seven children of Kaviraj Khazan Chand united the worlds of politics, educational and sports management through a career for decades.
Malhotra rose to Jana Sangh’s ranks and was elected president of Delhi Pradesh Jan Sangh from 1972 to 1975. After the formation of BJP, he chaired the Delhi unit twice between 1977 and 1984.

In addition to leaders such as Kedar Nath Sahni and Madan Lal Khuana, he was loan in the first years to keep the presence of the party alive in the capital.

Malhotra, who was a member of parliament five times and twice MLA, was among the most experienced faces of BJP in Delhi. The most famous political victory came in the 1999 general elections when former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh defeated with a great difference. He was the only BJP candidate in Delhi in 2004 polls. Malhotra, who looked at the party lines for his clean and simple public life, was also an educator who did a doctorate in Hindi literature. Beyond politics, he played an active role in sports management and contributed to the growth of chess and archery in the capital. In his condolences, Delhi BJP described his life as “an example of simplicity and public service ve and noted his contributions to the expansion of Jan Sangh and BJP in Delhi.