Former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed by President Droupadi Murmu as the new lieutenant governor (LG) of Delhi, replacing Vinai Kumar Saxena, who has been transferred to Ladakh as its lieutenant governor, the Rashtrapati Bhavan announced Thursday.
The appointments are part of a major reshuffle in gubernatorial posts across nine states and Union territories, effective from the dates the appointees assume charge, said a communique from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Sandhu, a former Indian ambassador to the United States and high commissioner to Sri Lanka, is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader who contested as the party’s candidate from Amritsar in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
A seasoned diplomat, he served as high commissioner to Sri Lanka from January 2017 to January 2020 and as consul general in Frankfurt from September 2011 to July 2013. He has worked in various capacities in the Union ministry of external affairs, including as officer on special duty for press relations, where he was responsible for liaison with foreign media in India, according to his profile on the website of the embassy of India in Washington DC.
Sandhu holds a History (hons) degree from St Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and a master’s in international relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
He replaces VK Saxena, who took over as Delhi’s 22nd lieutenant governor on May 26, 2022. Saxena’s nearly four-year tenure was marked by constant friction with the then Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. With over three decades of experience in the corporate and social sectors, Saxena had previously served as chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission from October 2015 before his appointment as LG.
Saxena frequently raised questions over the Delhi government’s functioning and refused to sign files pertaining to decisions made by the AAP administration. In response, the AAP government filed over 10 cases against him within a year, many of which were withdrawn after the BJP won the Delhi assembly elections in February 2025.
The power struggle between the two centres reached such intensity that the court observed both the LG and chief minister should stop wasting judicial time and avoid filing cases against each other to resolve government matters. The relationship hit a critical juncture when a court order initially gave the government control over services, but Parliament subsequently passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, empowering the LG with authority over bureaucratic postings and transfers.
In sharp contrast, Saxena’s relationship with the current BJP government in Delhi has been cordial. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta recently shared photos of Holi celebrations with Saxena and his family. Cabinet ministers have frequently shared the stage with him at events and collaborated on civic issues, including the clearance of the heritage Barapullah bridge and the drain underneath – one of Saxena’s priority projects.
The last four years witnessed a series of open letters exchanged on social media between Saxena and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with public discord over issues ranging from bus marshal suspensions and G20 preparations to excise policy, healthcare, and Yamuna cleaning.