NEW DELHI: Former ambassador of India to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, assumed charge as the new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi on Wednesday at a ceremony held at Lok Niwas, the official residence of the LG.The oath of office was administered by the Chief Justice of the Delhi high court in the presence of Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, members of the cabinet and senior government officials.Sandhu succeeds V K Saxena, who had been serving as Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor for nearly four years. His appointment was announced by Droupadi Murmu as part of a broader reshuffle of gubernatorial positions across several states and Union territories.A 1988-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, Sandhu has had a diplomatic career spanning more than three decades. During this period, he held several key assignments, including India’s ambassador to Washington DC. He also served as deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in the United States from 2013 to 2017 and earlier as first secretary (political) between 1997 and 2000. Sandhu has also served as India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.After retiring from the diplomatic service, Sandhu entered electoral politics and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar on a ticket from the Bharatiya Janata Party but was defeated.Welcoming his appointment earlier, Chief Minister Gupta had said she was confident that Sandhu’s extensive diplomatic experience would benefit the people of Delhi.Sandhu’s appointment came amid a wider gubernatorial reshuffle that also saw R N Ravi moved from Tamil Nadu to West Bengal as governor, replacing C V Ananda Bose. The change drew criticism from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who questioned the timing of the decision ahead of the state assembly elections.
