India has 8 Union Territories. Delhi, Puducherry, Ladakh, J&K, Andaman and the Nicobar Islands have Lieutenant Governors (LGs) as their heads. All the LGs of Delhi reside at Raj Niwas. The President of India elects them for a tenure of 5 years.
Recently, Vinai Kumar Saxena was appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
What does the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi do?
The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi is considered the constitutional head of Delhi. While the central government controls the sectors like public order, police, and land, other sectors like health, education, agriculture, forest, and transport come under the city government.
But after the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill of 2021 was passed, LG has more power than before in this act. According to this Amendment, the expression ‘government’ in laws made by the Legislative Assembly will mean the Lieutenant Governor. It also states that the LG must be considered before taking an executive decision.
Let’s have a look at the former Lieutenant Governors of NCT of Delhi from 1966 to 2022:
| Name | Tenure Served | Worked Before in |
|---|---|---|
| Aditya Nath Jha | 07-09-1966 to 19-01-1972 | I.C.S. |
| M- G- Pimptkar | 19-01-1972 to 23-04-1972 | I.C.S. |
| Baleshwar Prasad | 24-04-1972 to 03-10-1974 | I.A.S. |
| Krishan Chand | 04-10-1974 to 30-03-1977 | I.C.S. |
| D. R. Kohli | 31-03-1977 to 16-02-1980 | I.C.S. |
| Jagmohan | 17-02-1980 to 30-03-1981 | I.A.S. |
| S. L. Khurana | 30-03,1981 to 01-09-1982 | I.A.S. |
| Jagmohan | 02-09-1982 to 25-04-1984 | I.A.S. |
| P. G. Gavai | 26-04-1984 to 03-11-1984 | I.A.S. |
| M. M. K. Wali | 04-11-1984 to 15-11-1985 | I.A.S. |
| A V M H. L. Kapur | 16-11-1985 to 03-08-1988 | PVSM, AVSM |
| Romesh Bhandari | 04-08-1988 to 13-12-1989 | I.A.S. |
| ACM Arjan Singh | 14-12-1989 to 17-12-1990 | D.F.C. |
| Markandey Singh | 17-12-1990 to 04-05-1992 | I.P.S. |
| P.K. Dave | 04-05-1992 to 04-01-1997 | I.A.S. |
| Tejendra Khanna | 04-01-1997 to 20-04-1998 | I.A.S. |
| Vijai Kapoor | 20-04-1998 to 08-06-2004 | I.A.S. |
| B. L. Joshi | 09-06-2004 to 08-04-2007 | – |
| Tejendra Khanna | 09-04-2007 to 08-07-2013 | I.A.S. |
| Najeeb Jung | 09-07-2013 to 22-12-2016 | I.A.S. |
| Anil Baijal | 31-12-2016 to 18-05-2022 | – |
| Vinai Kumar Saxena | Currently serving his tenure | – |
