Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik breathed his last at a hospital in the national capital on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He was 79.
The veteran political leader passed away at 1.10 pm today at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, according to Malik’s Personal Secretary, KS Rana.
He was in the ICU of the hospital for a long time, getting treatment for various ailments, the staff said.
Satyapal Malik served as the last Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from August 2018 to October 2019. It was during his tenure that Article 370 was abrogated by the Central government, converting the former state into three Union Territories.
Malik also held the positions of governor in Goa, Bihar, Meghalaya, and Odisha, besides being a member of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in his long political career.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the demise of Satyapal Malik.
The Prime Minister, in a post on X, said, “Saddened by the passing away of Shri Satyapal Malik Ji. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this hour of grief. Om Shanti.”
Satyapal Malik’s political career began in 1965-66, inspired by the socialist ideology of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia. His leadership qualities were evident early on as he served as the president of the Meerut College Students’ Union in 1966-67 and the Meerut University Students’ Union (now Chaudhary Charan Singh University) from 1968-69.
In 1974, he was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, representing the Baghpat constituency for the Bharatiya Kranti Dal, and was appointed the party’s Chief Whip. His influence grew Iin the political landscape, leading to his appointment as the All-India General Secretary of the newly formed Lok Dal in 1975. He was later nominated to the Rajya Sabha from the same party in 1980.
In 1984, Malik joined the Indian National Congress and was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1986. He also served as the General Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. However, following the Bofors scandal, he resigned from both the party and the Rajya Sabha in 1987. That same year, he founded the ‘Jan Morcha’, which later merged with the Janata Dal in 1988. During this time, he worked closely with former Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh and was a key participant in the Jan-Jagran movement. From 1987 to 1991, he served as the Secretary and Spokesperson for the Janata Dal and was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Aligarh constituency in 1989.
After a brief break from politics, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2004, contesting the Baghpat Lok Sabha seat. He steadily rose through the party ranks, holding positions such as Vice President of the Uttar Pradesh BJP (2005-06), All-India Incharge of the BJP Kisan Morcha (2009), and National Vice President in 2012. He was instrumental in shaping the party’s agricultural manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and was reappointed as National Vice President that same year, where he addressed numerous farmer rallies across the country.
In 2017, he was appointed the Governor of Bihar, followed by his appointment as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir on August 23, 2018.
Throughout his political career, he has held several key positions, including Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (1974-77), Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (1980-84, 1986-89) and Lok Sabha (1989-91), and Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism from April to November 1990. He also served on the Panel of Chairmen in the Rajya Sabha and the Panel of Speakers in the Lok Sabha during his tenure.
