Veteran BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra passes away at 93

Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former lawmaker Vijay Kumar Malhotra passed away in the Capital on Tuesday. He was 93. Among the BJP’s most recognisable faces, he was credited with the party’s expansion in Delhi.

Vijay Kumar Malhotra was among the BJP’s most recognisable faces in Delhi. (HT PHOTO)

Malhotra, who was born in Lahore, honed his political skills as a member of the BJP’s precursor, Jana Sangh. A two-term assembly and five-term parliamentarian, he served as the chief of the BJP’s Delhi unit twice. He defeated the late former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the 1999 Lok Sabha polls.

Tributes poured in as soon as the news of Malhotra’s death broke. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled Malhotra’s vital role in strengthening the BJP in Delhi. “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,” he wrote on X.