Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Mar 6: Former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu was on Thursday appointed the new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, replacing Vinai Kumar Saxena, who has been named the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
A 1988-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, Sandhu is widely regarded as one of India’s most experienced diplomats in handling relations with the United States. He served as India’s Ambassador to the US from February 2020 to January 2024, during a period that saw significant strengthening of bilateral ties.
Sandhu has held multiple assignments in Washington, D.C.. He served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. between July 2013 and January 2017. Earlier, from 1997 to 2000, he worked there as First Secretary (Political), where he handled liaison responsibilities with the United States Congress.
The 63-year-old diplomat also served at Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations between July 2005 and February 2009.
After retiring from diplomatic service, Sandhu entered politics and contested the 2024 Indian general election from Amritsar as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party, though he was unsuccessful.
Sandhu’s predecessor Vinai Kumar Saxena, 67, served as Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor for nearly four years. During his tenure, he often clashed with the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government on several administrative and governance issues.
Saxena assumed office as Delhi LG on May 26, 2022, and had pledged to remain accessible to the public rather than staying confined to Raj Niwas. During his tenure, the national capital successfully hosted the 2023 G20 New Delhi Summit in September 2023 with coordination between the Delhi government and central agencies.
In the latest round of gubernatorial appointments, Kavinder Gupta, the current Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, has been appointed Governor of Himachal Pradesh, succeeding Shiv Pratap Shukla, who will take over as Governor of Telangana.
Meanwhile, Jishnu Dev Varma, Governor of Telangana, has been appointed Governor of Maharashtra.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan said the appointments will take effect from the dates the respective leaders assume charge of their offices.