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

Vijay Kumar Malhotra, veteran BJP leader and the first president of the party’s Delhi unit, passed away at his residence on Tuesday morning, the Delhi BJP said in a statement. He was 94.

Born on December 3, 1931, in Lahore, Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan), Malhotra migrated to India after Partition and went on to become a central figure in Delhi’s political landscape.

The fourth of seven children of Kaviraj Khazan Chand, he combined the worlds of politics, education, and sports administration through a career that spanned decades.


Malhotra rose through the ranks of the Jana Sangh and was elected president of the Delhi Pradesh Jana Sangh from 1972 to 1975. After the formation of the BJP, he twice headed the Delhi unit between 1977 and 1984.

Along with leaders such as Kedar Nath Sahni and Madan Lal Khurana, he was credited with keeping the party’s presence alive in the capital during its early years.

A five-time Member of Parliament and two-time MLA, Malhotra was among the most experienced faces of the BJP in Delhi. His most celebrated political victory came in the 1999 general election when he defeated former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by a large margin. In the 2004 polls, he was the only BJP candidate to retain a seat in Delhi.

Respected across party lines for his clean and simple public life, Malhotra was also an educationist with a doctorate in Hindi literature. Beyond politics, he played an active role in sports administration, contributing to the growth of chess and archery in the capital.

The Delhi BJP, in its condolence statement, described his life as “an example of simplicity and public service,” noting his contributions to the expansion of the Jana Sangh and BJP in Delhi.