Satya Pal Malik


Satya Pal Malik is the 18th and current Governor of Goa, appointed by President Ram Nath Kovind on 25 October 2019. He is also the Ultimate Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. He assumed the position on 3 November 2019. He was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir from August 2018 to October 2019, and it was during his tenure that the historic decision to abrogate Article 370, which gave special status to J&K, was taken in August 2019.
His first prominent stint as a politician was as a member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly during 1974–77. He represented Uttar Pradesh in Rajya Sabha from 1980–86 and 1986–89. He was member of the 9th Lok Sabha from Aligarh, from 1989 to 1991, as member of Janata Dal. He was the Governor of Bihar from October 2017 to August 2018. On 21 March 2018 he was also given additional charge to serve as Governor of Odisha up to 28 May 2018. In August 2018, he was appointed Governor to the crucial state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Background

Malik was born in Hisawada village of Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. He pursued his law degree from Meerut College before joining politics.

Posts held

He had been a Member of Parliament from Aligarh in 1989 on ticket of Janata Dal. He got 2,33,465 votes out of total valid votes. Thus defeated sitting MP and rival INC candidate Usha Rani Tomar by a margin of 77,958 votes, who got 1,55,507 votes. He again contested from Aligarh in 1996 on Samajwadi Party ticket, but could manage only 4th place and secured only 40,789 votes.