Kavinder Gupta stepped down as Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh on Thursday after a tenure of nine months, with Vinai Kumar Saxena appointed as his successor in the Union Territory. Gupta, a senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has been reassigned as Governor of Himachal Pradesh in a related administrative change.
According to details received by The Chenab Times, Gupta submitted his resignation on March 5, 2026, as reported by news agency ANI citing officials. President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation and swiftly appointed him as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, while shifting Vinai Kumar Saxena from his position as Lieutenant Governor of Delhi to Ladakh. These developments form part of a broader reshuffle in gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial posts across states and Union Territories.
Gupta assumed office as the third Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh on July 18, 2025, succeeding Brigadier (Dr) B.D. Mishra (Retd), who had held the role since February 2023. He became the first politician to serve in the position following the creation of Ladakh as a separate Union Territory in 2019 after the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir. The first LG was R.K. Mathur, who served from October 2019 until Mishra’s appointment.
A veteran BJP figure from Jammu’s Janipur area, Gupta began his career as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker and rose through various roles. He served as Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and as mayor of Jammu for three consecutive terms. In electoral politics, he contested assembly elections in 2002 and 2008 from Jammu West but saw last-minute candidate changes by the party. In 2014, he successfully contested from Gandhi Nagar in Jammu city, defeating a senior Congress leader.
Upon taking oath in Leh in July 2025, Gupta pledged to work unitedly for Ladakh’s development. He expressed gratitude to President Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and BJP workers shortly after his appointment. His tenure, however, overlapped with ongoing protests in Ladakh. Civil society groups, including the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, have led agitations demanding statehood, protections under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, and job reservations for locals, reflecting persistent unrest among youth and residents.
The reshuffle also saw other changes, including the resignation of West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on the same day after less than four years in office. Bose submitted his resignation to President Murmu, citing that he had spent sufficient time in the role, amid reports of tensions with the state government.
Gupta’s move to Himachal Pradesh positions him as the state’s new Governor, while Saxena brings administrative experience from his time in Delhi to Ladakh. No official reason has been provided for Gupta’s resignation from Ladakh, though sources indicate it aligns with the government’s broader administrative adjustments. The appointments take effect immediately upon assumption of charge, as per Rashtrapati Bhavan notifications.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
