Former Diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu Named Delhi L-G, VK Saxena Moved To Ladakh

Former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu was on Thursday appointed the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, replacing Vinai Kumar Saxena, who has been named the new Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.

Who Is Taranjit Singh Sandhu?

A 1988-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, Sandhu is considered one of India’s most experienced diplomats on United States-related affairs and served multiple stints at the Indian mission in Washington, DC.

He served as India’s ambassador to the United States from February 2020 to January 2024. Earlier, he was the deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in Washington between July 2013 and January 2017. From 1997 to 2000, he worked there as first secretary (political), handling liaison responsibilities with the US Congress.

The 63-year-old diplomat also served at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations between July 2005 and February 2009.

Sandhu had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket but was unsuccessful.

VK Saxena Moved To Ladakh

Taranjit Singh Sandhu’s predecessor, Vinai Kumar Saxena, held the post of Delhi’s lieutenant governor for nearly four years. During his tenure, he frequently clashed with the AAP-led Delhi government on administrative and governance matters.

VK Saxena, 67, assumed office as Delhi LG on May 26, 2022, promising to remain visible and accessible to people rather than staying confined to Raj Niwas.

During his tenure, various Delhi government departments and central agencies successfully organised the 2023 G20 Summit held in the national capital in September 2023.

Saxena has been appointed as L-G in place of Ladakh’s Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta. Gupta has been appointed the Himachal Pradesh Governor. He will succeed Shiv Pratap Shukla, who will be Telangana’s Governor. Jishnu Dev Varma, Governor of Telangana, has been appointed Maharashtra Governor. 

These new appointments will take effect from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices, the Rashtrapati Bhavan stated in its communique.