Suresh Kalmadi, former Union Minister and Congress leader, passes away at 81

Suresh Kalmadi, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister, passed away in Pune on Tuesday after a prolonged illness at the age of 81.

The former president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is survived by his wife, a son and daughter-in-law, two married daughters and sons-in-law, and grandchildren.

Kalmadi had served as Union Minister of State for Railways and was a prominent figure in Indian sports administration for over a decade. A seasoned politician from Pune, he represented the city multiple times in Parliament and held several key positions during his long political career.

Suresh Kalmadi was born on May 1, 1944, in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu. His family traced its roots to Mangalore in Karnataka, where his parents resided before his birth, reflecting the Konkani heritage common among communities from the Konkan coast.

He completed his early schooling in Pune, Maharashtra, at St. Vincent’s High School, where he finished his secondary education. He later pursued undergraduate studies at Fergusson College in Pune, earning his graduate degree.

This civilian education laid the foundation for his subsequent entry into military training. He attended the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Khadakwasla and later underwent specialised aviation training at the Air Force Flying College in Jodhpur and Allahabad.

Kalmadi formally entered elected politics in 1982 when, backed by the Congress (S) faction led by Sharad Pawar, he was nominated and elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member representing Maharashtra.

His association with Congress(S), a breakaway group from the Indian National Congress formed in 1978 due to internal disputes, marked his initial party alignment. During this phase, he also served as the president of the Indian Youth Congress(Socialist) from 1981 to 1986.

In 1986, following Sharad Pawar’s decision to merge Congress(S) back into the Indian National Congress, Kalmadi became part of the reunited party structure. This merger established his long-term affiliation with the Indian National Congress (INC).

He represented the INC in subsequent parliamentary terms, including three stints in the Rajya Sabha between 1982 and 1996, and later in the Lok Sabha. His party membership was suspended in April 2011 amid corruption investigations related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Suresh Kalmadi was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra for four terms as a member of the Indian National Congress. His first term began in 1982, followed by subsequent terms starting in 1988, 1994, and 1998. His final Rajya Sabha term ended in May 2004, when he was elected to the Lok Sabha.

He also served three terms in the Lok Sabha, representing the Pune constituency. He was first elected in the 1996 general election to the 11th Lok Sabha, re-elected in 2004 to the 14th Lok Sabha, and again in 2009 to the 15th Lok Sabha, which concluded in 2014.

Kalmadi was elected president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in 1996. He went on to secure re-election for multiple terms, including in 2008 for his fourth consecutive four-year term, spanning from 2008 to 2012.

During his tenure, the IOA functioned as India’s National Olympic Committee, coordinating the country’s participation in Olympic events and overseeing national sports federations.

In October 2012, under pressure from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Kalmadi announced that he would not seek re-election for a fifth term, effectively ending his active presidency. His overall service as IOA president spanned from 1996 to 2011.

On April 25, 2011, Suresh Kalmadi was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of corruption, cheating, and criminal conspiracy in connection with the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The arrest followed investigations into alleged financial irregularities, particularly the award of a Rs 107 crore contract for the Timing, Scoring, and Results (TSR) system to a Swiss firm, Omega, without competitive bidding. The agency alleged that this decision caused a wrongful loss to the exchequer. Kalmadi, who was chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee at the time, denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated.

In February 2013, a Delhi court framed charges against Kalmadi and nine others under sections related to cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. The case involved the alleged irregular award of a Rs 141.21 crore TSR contract to Swiss Timing, bypassing a lower Rs 62 crore bid from a Spanish firm. Kalmadi pleaded not guilty and maintained that there was no wrongdoing in the procurement process.

Following his release on bail in January 2012 and amid ongoing legal proceedings, Kalmadi received the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) President’s Award on June 3, 2015. The honour recognised his contributions to the development of athletics in Asia during his 13-year tenure as AAA president from 1999 to 2013.