Ladakh gets its first politician LG as Kavinder Gupta takes charge

Senior BJP leader Kavinder Gupta was on Friday administered the oath as the third Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.

Gupta is the first politician LG of Ladakh. Retired bureaucrat RK Mathur was the first LG appointed in 2019 after Ladakh was detached from Jammu and Kashmir and created as a Union Territory (UT). His successor, Brigadier Dr BD Mishra (Retd), was an ex-serviceman.

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The Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Justice Arun Palli, administered the oath of office to Kavinder Gupta.

Gupta took the oath of office at Ladakh Raj Niwas in Leh. Chief Secretary Pawan Kotwal read out the official warrant of appointment. DGP Ladakh, SD Singh Jamwal, senior officers, and Buddhist monks were present at the oath ceremony.

Gupta, 66, is a veteran BJP leader from Jammu. He has held several key positions, including that of Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir when it was a full-fledged state in 2018, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and Mayor of Jammu for three consecutive terms (2005–2010). He also led the BJP’s youth wing, BJYM, for two terms and spent 13 months in jail during the Emergency as an RSS worker.

Speaking to reporters after the oath ceremony, Gupta said, “Ladakh deserves dignity, development, and a voice – I’m here to serve, not to rule.”

Acknowledging the pain of past discrimination, he promised a future built on trust, equality, and unity. From the remote villages of Drass and Zanskar to the valleys of Leh and Kargil, he vowed to work with the people, not above them.

There will be no discrimination between the Buddhist-dominated Leh region and the Shia Muslim-majority Kargil area, he said.