New Delhi, March 11 Former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu was sworn in as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Delhi in a ceremony held at Lok Niwas on Wednesday.
Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sandhu in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and other dignitaries.
The chief minister noted that Delhi represents a shared heritage of all. She expressed confidence that Sandhu's extensive administrative experience would provide momentum to ongoing development projects in the city.
The event was attended by Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs minister S Jaishankar, United States Ambassador to India Sergio Gor. Also present were several diplomats, judges and Member of Parliament from Delhi, Punjab and other states.
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Sandhu described Delhi as his "Karmbhumi" (workplace), noting that he attended college and university in the city before serving here as a foreign service officer. "There are many stakeholders, and it is the duty of all of us to work together for the development of Delhi," he said.
He added that while the problems facing the capital are well known, there are no automatic solutions, and all stakeholders will have to work together to address them.
Sandhu thanked President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for entrusting him with the responsibility. He asserted his commitment to achieving the Prime Minister’s vision of a "Viksit Dilli" (Developed Delhi) and "Viksit Bharat" (Developed India) by working with the Centre, the Delhi government, neighbouring states and the people of Delhi.
Earlier, the new Lieutenant Governor paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and offered prayers at the Rakabganj Gurudwara and Prachin Hanuman temple in Connaught Place.
Following the oath-taking, Sandhu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence. In a post on X, Sandhu described the meeting as an "engaging discussion" on "public service and governance".
Sandhu succeeds Vinai Kumar Saxena, who has been appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
A 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, the 63-year-old Sandhu was one of the most experienced Indian diplomats on United States affairs.
He served in the Indian Mission in Washington, D.C., multiple times and was India's ambassador to the United States from February 2020 to January 2024. He had also been at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations from July 2005 to February 2009.
Sandhu had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket from the Amritsar constituency in Punjab, though he was unsuccessful.