 Prior to 1967, he was elected by the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir to represent Jammu as a Member of Parliament.Direct elections for parliamentary seats by Jammu and Kashmir constituents began in 1967, when the 4th Lok Sabha was formed.The son of Thakur Das Malhotra, Inder Jit Malhotra was first elected to Parliament by the Legislative Assembly following the tragic and unexpected death of his father, who held the seat previously and suffered a fatal heart attack while delivering a political speech.