Former Rajya Sabha MP, journalist and senior BJP leader Balbir Punj, 76, passed away on Saturday (April 18, 2026) evening after suffering illness for some time.
Mr. Punj, a former vice president of the BJP and associated with the RSS from a young age, had a long career in public life — in politics and policy circles, and in the media. He began his career as a journalist in 1971 with the newspaper The Motherland, later serving for two decades at the Financial Express, and the as executive editor of The Observer of Business and Politics from May 1996 to March 2000.
He served two terms as a member of the Rajya Sabha, between 2000-2006 from Uttar Pradesh and 2008-14 from Odisha. He also served as the chairperson of the National Commission for Youth, which is accorded Minister of State status in the Central government.
He was regarded as an important figure in terms of contributing to the BJP’s public policy interventions and stances, as well as an author, penning Tryst with Ayodhya: Decolonisation of India (Kitab Wale).
Mr. Punj had also been actively involved in journalistic institutions. He served as President of the Delhi Journalists Association for two consecutive terms between 1989 and 1991 and was General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists from 1993 to 1995.
