Dharamshala: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, former Himachal Pradesh minister, and Member of Parliament (MP) Kishan Kapoor passed away while undergoing treatment at PGI Chandigarh. He was admitted due to a brain haemorrhage and breathed his last on Friday.
A resident of Khaniyara village in Dharamshala, Kishan Kapoor was born on June 25, 1951. He had a long political career, serving as a cabinet minister in the state government three times and as a Lok Sabha MP once. Kapoor remained a prominent face of the BJP in Himachal Pradesh, contesting multiple elections from the Dharamshala assembly constituency.
Kapoor was first elected as an MLA from Dharamshala in 1990 and went on to win the seat in 1993 and 1998. However, he lost in 2003, only to return to the Assembly in 2007. After another defeat in 2012, he secured victory again in 2017, marking his fifth term as an MLA. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP fielded Kapoor from the Kangra parliamentary seat, where he won with a record margin and the highest voting percentage in the country.
Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur expressed grief over Kapoor’s passing, calling it an irreparable loss for the BJP. “The BJP family has lost a great leader. Kishan ji played a crucial role in the state’s development and people’s welfare. His contribution will always be remembered. May God grant peace to his soul and strength to his family,” he said in a social media post.
Kapoor’s demise marks the end of an era in Himachal politics, where he was known for his grassroots connect and administrative experience. His contributions to the state and his party will remain significant in the region’s political history.
