New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Dr Dinesh Sharma as the Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The appointment will take effect from the date he assumes charge of the office, according to a press communique issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan Saturday.
The official announcement, signed by Press Secretary to the President Dr Manisha Verma, stated that the President is pleased to make the appointment. The communique was released for immediate publication.
Dr Sharma, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and currently a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, brings extensive administrative and academic experience to the role.
Born January 12, 1964, in Lucknow, he served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 2017 to 2022 in the Yogi Adityanath government, handling portfolios related to higher education, technical education, science and technology, and information technology. Before that, he was elected Mayor of Lucknow twice—first in 2006 and again in 2012—winning the second term by a record margin.
A professor of commerce at the University of Lucknow since the early 1990s, Dr Sharma has guided numerous research scholars and remains associated with academic work. He began his public life through student organisations and rose through the ranks of the BJP’s youth wing before holding key organisational positions in the party.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a strategically important Union Territory in the Bay of Bengal, is administered by a Lieutenant Governor who serves as both the constitutional head and the head of the administration. The post carries significant responsibility for governance, development, and coordination with the central government, particularly in areas of security, tourism, infrastructure and environmental conservation.
Admiral (Retd) Devendra Kumar Joshi has been serving as the Lieutenant Governor since October 2017. The fresh appointment marks a change in the leadership of the island territory. Dr Sharma is expected to take charge shortly.
