Will take everyone along in Ladakh’s growth, says new L-G

Senior BJP leader Kavinder Gupta, who has held several key positions including Deputy Chief Minister and Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, is set to begin a new chapter as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh. Speaking to reporters in Jammu on Monday, Gupta described his new assignment as “challenging” but assured he would work collectively with all stakeholders for the region’s development.

President Droupadi Murmu appointed Gupta as the new Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh on Monday.

“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 their trust in me. I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of them,” Gupta said.

Gupta acknowledged the challenges ahead but said he was ready to embrace them. “There are certainly challenges involved, but I accept them and will try my best to serve the Union Territory,” he said.

Gupta noted that Ladakh, which was earlier part of Jammu and Kashmir, faces unique challenges after becoming a Union Territory. “Locals will be taken along, and development will be ensured. I am confident that the UT administration will work together with me for the betterment of the region,” he said.

Unlike his predecessor Brig BD Mishra (retd), who had a military background, Gupta is a seasoned politician with long-standing ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), having joined the organisation at the age of 13. He was jailed for a year during the Emergency and later worked with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Punjab during the late 1970s.

Gupta served as Mayor of the Jammu Municipal Corporation from 2005 to 2010 and was elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in 2014 from the Gandhi Nagar constituency, defeating prominent Congress leader and former minister Raman Bhalla.

Gupta was elected Speaker of the J&K Assembly following the BJP-PDP alliance in 2014 and became Deputy Chief Minister in 2018, the same year the alliance collapsed.

His appointment comes at a time when local representative bodies are engaged in talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)-appointed High Powered Committee, chaired by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai.

Ladakh continues to witness protests over the demand for inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, which locals say is vital for preserving the region’s tribal culture. There is also a persistent demand for statehood.

Also, the MHA is moving forward with the creation of five new districts in Ladakh—Sham, Nubra, and Changthang in Leh, and Zanskar and Drass in Kargil. The announcement was made in August last year, and discussions on boundaries and staffing are in the final stages.