Taranjit Singh Sandhu: Who is the new L.G. of Delhi?

Taranjit Singh Sandhu was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi on Thursday (March 5 2026), by President Droupadi Murmu.

Mr. Sandhu will be replacing Vinai Kumar Saxena for the top post.

Know all about the former diplomat. 

Early life

Taranjit Singh Sandhu was born on January 23, 1963, in Punjab, into an influential Sikh family with deep ties to religious and academic history. 

His grandfather was Teja Singh Samundri, a prominent freedom fighter and founder of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee(SGPC). 

His father, Bishan Singh Samundri, was the founding Vice-Chancellor of the Guru Nanak Dev University and his mother, Jagjit Kaur Sandhu, was the principal of the Government College for Women in Amritsar.

Mr. Sandhu studied at The Lawrence School, Sanawar, before earning a Bachelor’s in History from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and a Master’s in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

Career in the Indian Foreign Service

Mr Sandhu joined the Indian Foreign Service (I.F.S). in 1988 and spent over 35 years in different postings

His career began with a posting to the Soviet Union (1990-1992). After its breakup, he was tasked with setting up the Indian Embassy in Ukraine, serving as the head of its political and administrative wings from 1992 to 1994.

U.S. expert

Mr. Sandhu is considered one of India’s prominent experts on the U.S. and has served multiple stints in diplomatic positions in the country. 

First Secretary(Political): Mr Sandhu served as the liaison to the U.S. Congress from 1997 to 2000.

Deputy Chief of Mission: Sandhu served in this post from 2013 to 2017.

Indian Ambassador to the U.S.: Mr. Sandhu served in this position from 2020 to 2024, during the crucial COVID-19 period and the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the country in 2023.

He has also served as the High Commissioner to Sri Lanka(2017-2020) and Consul General in Frankfurt (2011-2013). 

Political life

After his retirement, Taranjit Siandhu joined the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) on March 19, 2024.

He contested from the Amritsar constituency in Punjab in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but finished in third place with approximately 22.88% of the vote. 

Mr. Sandhu was also appointed as the  Chairman of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum’s (USISPF) Geopolitical Institute.