Former J&K Governor Satyapal Malik passes away at 79 after prolonged illness

New Delhi, August 5: Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik passed away in the national capital on Tuesday following a prolonged illness. He was 79. Malik breathed his last at 1:10 p.m. at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, confirmed his secretary, K.S. Rana.

Malik served as the last Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from August 2018 to October 2019. His tenure was marked by the historic abrogation of Article 370 by the Central government, which led to the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories—Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

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A staunch follower of socialist leader Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, Malik began his political journey in the mid-1960s. He rose to prominence early, becoming President of the Meerut College Students’ Union in 1966-67, followed by the presidency of the Students’ Union at the then Meerut University (now Chaudhary Charan Singh University) in 1968-69.

Malik entered legislative politics in 1974, winning the Baghpat Assembly seat as a candidate of the Bharatiya Kranti Dal. He was appointed Chief Whip of the party in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. His stature continued to grow with his appointment as All-India General Secretary of the newly formed Lok Dal in 1975. He entered the Rajya Sabha in 1980 representing the Lok Dal.

In 1984, he joined the Indian National Congress and returned to the Rajya Sabha in 1986. He also served as the General Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. However, following the Bofors scandal, Malik resigned from both the Congress and the Rajya Sabha in 1987.

That same year, he launched the 'Jan Morcha', which later merged with the Janata Dal in 1988. During this time, he worked closely with then Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh and was actively involved in the Jan-Jagran movement. From 1987 to 1991, he served as Secretary and Spokesperson of the Janata Dal and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Aligarh in 1989.

After a brief hiatus from politics, Malik joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2004 and contested the Baghpat Lok Sabha seat. He steadily climbed the party ranks, serving as Vice President of the Uttar Pradesh BJP (2005–06), All-India Incharge of the BJP Kisan Morcha (2009), and later as BJP’s National Vice President in 2012.

He played a significant role in shaping the BJP’s agricultural agenda for the 2014 general elections and was reappointed National Vice President that year. Malik also led numerous farmer outreach initiatives and rallies across the country.