In the early hours on Tuesday, Suresh Kalmadi, a senior leader of Congress and former Union Minister of State for Railways, breathed his last at about 3:30 AM following a prolonged illness. Kalmadi, who had sought treatment at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune, is survived by his wife, Meera Kalmadi, a son, and two daughters.
From the Skies to the Parliament
Prior to his public career, Kalmadi was a pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) from 1964 to 1972, including during the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars. He retired as a Squadron Leader before joining the political field, during which he rose through the hierarchy of the Indian Youth Congress within a brief time. A three-time Rajya Sabha member and former Lok Sabha MP who represented Pune, Kalmadi dominated Maharashtra politics. In 1995–1996, under the P.V. Narasimha Rao government, he served as Union Minister of State for Railways and was mainly responsible for modernizing the railway infrastructure in Pune.
The Titan of Sports Administration
Kalmadi’s legacy is perhaps best embedded in India’s sports. For 15 years (1996–2011), he was the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). He served as the President of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) as well as a member of the influential International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) council. He helped to elevate massive international sporting spectacles to India with the Afro-Asian Games 2003 and the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2010 hosted in Delhi. Supporters frequently cited his capacity to construct world-class infrastructure, like the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, as his single biggest contribution to Indian sports.
Controversies and the CWG Shadow
In spite of his achievements, however, Kalmadi's career was also plagued by corruption during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. A series of financial mismanagement, inflated contracts, and kickbacks allegations led to his arrest by the CBI in April 2011. He spent several months in Tihar Jail before being granted bail. Though the scandal resulted in his suspension from the Congress party and him being evicted from the IOA, in recent months, Kalmadi has also received a major legal break. A Delhi court in early 2025 agreed to accept a closure report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate, stating that there was no money laundering evidence against him, thus clearing his name in the 15-year-old case.
Final Tributes
The mortal remains of Suresh Kalmadi will remain in his house, Kalmadi House, in Erandwane until 2:00 PM today so that citizens and politicians might pay respect. The last rites will be carried out at the Vaikunth Crematorium at 3:30 PM. Leaders of all stripes have expressed mourning, calling him a leader who changed the face of Pune and placed India atop the world on a global sports stage despite the controversies that followed.
