Veteran politician passes away on the anniversary of Article 370 revocation
Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik passed away on Tuesday at the age of 79 following a prolonged illness. He died around 1 PM at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, where he had been undergoing treatment.
Malik, a seasoned politician with decades of public service, held several gubernatorial posts and was a three-time Member of Parliament. His most high-profile role came during his tenure as the last Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from August 2018 to October 2019. Notably, the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, occurred under his watch on August 5, 2019—exactly six years before his passing.
A political journey across parties and ideologies
Satya Pal Malik began his political journey in the late 1960s as a student leader with socialist leanings. His early associations included Chaudhary Charan Singh’s Bharatiya Kranti Dal, and he later moved through a wide political spectrum, including the Congress, Janata Dal, and eventually the BJP, which he joined in 2004.
In 1974, he was elected as an MLA from Baghpat and became the General Secretary of Lok Dal. He entered the Rajya Sabha in 1980 representing Lok Dal and rejoined the Upper House in 1986 after briefly switching to the Congress in 1984.
Following the Bofors scandal, Malik resigned from Congress in 1987 and joined VP Singh’s Janata Dal. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Aligarh in 1989 and served as Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism.
Later roles and Governor tenures
After joining the BJP in 2004 under Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s leadership, Malik contested the Lok Sabha election from Baghpat but lost to Ajit Singh. During Narendra Modi’s first term, he chaired a parliamentary panel reviewing the land acquisition bill, which ultimately opposed the government’s stance and contributed to the bill being dropped.
Malik’s gubernatorial assignments included:
- Governor of Bihar (briefly in 2017)
- Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (2018–2019)
- Governor of Goa
- Governor of Meghalaya (until October 2022)
He was also the first politician appointed as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir since militancy began in the region—a decision seen as a shift from the earlier pattern of appointing retired bureaucrats or military officials.
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