Former J-K Guv Satyapal Malik passes away after prolonged illness

New Delhi, Aug05 :Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik passed away in the national capital on Tuesday after prolonged illness.
The 79-year-old leader breathed his last at 1.10 pm today at Ram ManoharLohia Hospital here today, according to Malik’s Personal Secretary, KS Rana
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.
Inspired by the socialist ideology of Dr Ram ManoharLohia, Satyapal Malik entered politics in 1965-66. His leadership qualities were evident early on, as he served as the President of the Meerut College Students’ Union in 1966-67 and later as the President of the Students’ Union of the then Meerut University (now ChaudharyCharan Singh University) in 1968-69.
He made his legislative debut in 1974, winning the Baghpat Assembly seat on the ticket of the BharatiyaKranti Dal and was appointed the party’s Chief Whip in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. His growing stature within the political landscape led to his appointment as the All-India General Secretary of the newly formed Lok Dal in 1975. In 1980, he was nominated to the RajyaSabha from Lok Dal.
In 1984, he joined the Indian National Congress and was re-elected to the RajyaSabha in 1986. He also served as the General Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. However, disillusioned by the Bofors scandal, he resigned from both the Congress and the RajyaSabha in 1987. That same year, he formed the ‘Jan Morcha’, which later merged with Janata Dal in 1988. During this period, he worked closely with former Prime Minister VishwanathPratap Singh and actively participated in the Jan-Jagran movement. He held key roles in the Janata Dal as its Secretary and Spokesperson from 1987 to 1991 and was elected to the LokSabha from Aligarh in 1989.
After a brief political hiatus, he joined the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) in 2004 and contested from the BaghpatLokSabha seat. In the following years, he rose steadily within the party ranks, serving as the Vice President of the Uttar Pradesh BJP (2005-06), All-India Incharge of the BJP KisanMorcha (2009), and later as National Vice President of the BJP in 2012. He played a key role in shaping the party’s agricultural manifesto for the 2014 LokSabha elections and was reappointed as National Vice President the same year, where he addressed several farmer rallies across the country.
In recognition of his long-standing contribution to public life, he was appointed the Governor of Bihar in 2017. A year later, on August 23, 2018, he took oath as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
Throughout his political career, he has held various significant posts, including Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (1974-77), Member of Parliament in both the RajyaSabha (1980-84, 1986-89) and LokSabha (1989-91), and Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism from April to November 1990. He also served as a member of the Panel of Chairmen in the RajyaSabha and the Panel of Speakers in the LokSabha during his tenure. (ANI)