JAMMU, Jul 14: Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Kavinder Gupta, was on Monday appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh. Expressing gratitude to the national leadership, Gupta said he views the role as a challenging yet important responsibility and pledged to work collectively for the region’s development.
“I am thankful to those who considered me worthy — be it the Honourable Prime Minister, the Honourable President, the Home Minister, or the national leadership — who have placed me in this position,” Gupta told reporters in Jammu soon after the appointment was announced by President Droupadi Murmu.
Gupta, 66, brings decades of political and organisational experience to his new role. He served as Deputy Chief Minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government led by Mehbooba Mufti from April 2018, and earlier as Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly following the 2014 elections. A three-time Mayor of Jammu (2005–2010), he also held key roles in the BJP’s youth wing and served as general secretary of the party’s J&K unit.
“There are certainly challenges involved, but I accept them,” Gupta said. “This is a big responsibility, and I am confident of fulfilling it sincerely. We will work together with everyone for the development of Ladakh.”
A resident of Jammu city’s Janipur area, Gupta entered electoral politics in 2014, winning the Gandhi Nagar Assembly seat by defeating senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla. Earlier, he had led the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in J&K for two consecutive terms from 1993 to 1998.
Deeply rooted in ideological work, Gupta was also associated with the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) as secretary and spent around 13 months in jail during the Emergency as a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
With his appointment, Gupta begins a new chapter in public life, overseeing Ladakh at a time when the strategically located Union Territory is witnessing rapid infrastructural and socio-economic changes since its formation in 2019.
Recent Comments