Srinagar, Jul 17: Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Kavinder Gupta, is set to be sworn in as the new Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh on Friday morning in Leh.
According to official sources, Gupta will take the oath of office at 9:30 am at Raj Niwas, Leh. The oath will be administered by Justice Arun Palli, Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court. Chief Secretary Pawan Kotwal is expected to read out Gupta’s warrant of appointment during the ceremony.
The event will be attended by key officials including the Chief Executive Councilors and Executive Councilors of the Leh and Kargil Hill Development Councils, representatives from the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, along with senior officials from the civil administration and police.
Gupta reached Leh earlier today and was warmly received at the Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Airport. Justice Palli also arrived in Leh to officiate the oath-taking ceremony.
A prominent face in Jammu politics, Gupta served as Deputy CM in the PDP-BJP coalition government led by Mehbooba Mufti, which collapsed in June 2018 following the BJP’s decision to withdraw support, citing worsening security conditions in the region.
With this appointment, Gupta becomes the first political figure to assume the role of Lieutenant Governor in Ladakh. The Union Territory was previously headed by non-political administrators—first by retired IAS officer Radha Krishna Mathur, followed by Brigadier (Dr.) B. D. Mishra, an Army veteran. (KNO)
