People, Positions and Obituaries · 21 April 2026

Balbir Punj passes away as former Rajya Sabha MP and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader

Exam-focused facts from the 21 April 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

  • Balbir Punj, aged 76, passed away on April 18, 2026.
  • He served as a former Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha and as a former vice president of the BJP.
  • He was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from a young age.
  • He began his career as a journalist in 1971 with the newspaper The Motherland.
  • He served at the Financial Express for two decades.
  • He was the executive editor of The Observer of Business and Politics from May 1996 to March 2000.

View this story in the full daily briefing

Earlier coverage selected by topic similarity to help connect developments over time.

Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury dies at 89.

Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, former Union Minister, died on 8 April 2026 in Kolkata. He was 89 years old and had been suffering from multiple age-related complications.