Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal resigns, cites personal reasons

New Delhi, May 18

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal today resigned from the post citing personal reasons and sent his papers to President Ram Nath Kovind, sources said.

Baijal’s tenure as the L-G of Delhi lasted more than five years, as he took over the office on December 31, 2016, after the sudden resignation of his predecessor Najeeb Jung. A 1969-batch IAS officer from the AGMUT cadre, Anil Baijal had served as Union Home Secretary in the NDA government, led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He also held key positions in other ministries.

He retired from the service in 2006 as Secretary of the Urban Development Ministry. Following his retirement, he was associated with the planning and implementation of Rs 60,000-crore JNNURM scheme during the UPA government.

Baijal also had stints as the chairman and managing director of Indian Airlines, chief executive officer of Prasar Bharati Corporation, development commissioner of Goa and counsellor in-charge of India’s aid programme in Nepal.

He had been at loggerheads with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over many issues. The biggest tussle between the Delhi Government and Baijal happened when Kejriwal and his Cabinet staged a dharna at the L-G office, alleging that IAS officers posted with the state government were not cooperating with elected representatives.