# List of lieutenant governors of Delhi

The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi is the constitutional head of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The post was established in September 1966, following the enactment of The Delhi Administration Act, 1966. Thereafter, the former Delhi Legislative Assembly was replaced by the Delhi Metropolitan Council comprising 56 elected and 5 nominated members with the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi presiding as its head. The Council, however, had no legislative powers: it merely played an advisory role in the governance of Delhi. This setup sustained until 1990, when the Assembly was reinstated; the position of Lieutenant Governor retained its role.
The National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Parliament of India and was passed by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The bill specifies that, in any law made by the Legislative Assembly, the term "Government" shall refer to the Lieutenant Governor.
The incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Delhi is Vinai Kumar Saxena. Raj Niwas in Civil Lines, Delhi, serves as the Lieutenant Governor's official residence.

## Chief Commissioners

Delhi was previously headed by a Chief Commissioner who was an officer of the Imperial Civil Service.
| # | Name | Took office | Left office |
| 1 | Shankar Prasada, PPA | 1948 | 1954 |
| 2 | Anand Dattahaya Pandit, ICS | 1954 | 1959 |
| 3 | Bhagwan Sahay, ICS | 1959 | 1963 |
| 4 | Venkata Vishwanathan, ICS | 1964 | 7 September 1966 |
| 5 | Aditya Nath Jha, ICS | 7 September 1966 | 1 November 1966 |

## Lieutenant governors

In 1966, the Delhi Administration Act was passed, which established the Delhi Metropolitan Council with the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi as its head. So far, there have been 21 individuals who have held this post, including 12 IAS officers, 4 ICS officers, 2 IPS officers, 2 senior IAF officers, and 1 IFS officer. The appointees have generally been retired, with the exception of Najeeb Jung, who resigned from service. List of Lieutenant Governors of Delhi
| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Duration |
| 1 | Aditya Nath Jha, ICS | 7 November 1966 | 19 January 1972 | 5 years, 73 days |
| 2 | M.C. Pimputkar, ICS | 19 January 1972 | 23 April 1972 | 95 days |
| 3 | Baleshwar Prasad, IAS | 24 April 1972 | 3 October 1974 | 2 years, 162 days |
| 4 | Krishan Chand, ICS | 3 October 1974 | 30 March 1978 | 3 years, 178 days |
| 5 | Dalip Rai Kohli, ICS | 30 March 1978 | 17 February 1980 | 1 year, 324 days |
| 6 | Jagmohan Malhotra, IAS | 17 February 1980 | 30 March 1981 | 1 year, 41 days |
| 7 | Sundar Lal Khurana, IAS | 30 March 1981 | 2 September 1982 | 1 year, 156 days |
| (6) | Jagmohan Malhotra, IAS | 2 September 1982 | 25 April 1984 | 1 year, 236 days |
| 8 | P. G. Gavai, IAS | 25 April 1984 | Nov 1984 | |
| 9 | Mohan M.K. Wali, IAS | Nov 1984 | Nov 1985 | |
| 10 | AVM H. L. Kapur, PVSM, AVSM | Nov 1985 | Aug 1988 | |
| 11 | Romesh Bhandari, IFS | Aug 1988 | Dec 1989 | |
| 12 | ACM Arjan Singh, DFC | Dec 1989 | Dec 1990 | |
| 13 | Markandey Singh, IPS | Dec 1990 | 4 May 1992 | |
| 14 | Prasannabhai Karunashankar Dave, IAS | 4 May 1992 | 4 January 1997 | 4 years, 245 days |
| 15 | Tejendra Khanna, IAS | 4 January 1997 | 20 April 1998 | 1 year, 106 days |
| 16 | Vijai Kapoor, IAS | 20 April 1998 | 9 June 2004 | 6 years, 50 days |
| 17 | Banwari Lal Joshi, IPS | 9 June 2004 | 9 April 2007 | 2 years, 304 days |
| (15) | Tejendra Khanna, IAS | 9 April 2007 | 9 July 2013 | 6 years, 91 days |
| 18 | Najeeb Jung, IAS | 9 July 2013 | 22 December 2016 | 3 years, 166 days |
| 19 | Anil Baijal, IAS | 31 December 2016 | 18 May 2022 | 5 years, 138 days |
| 20 | Vinai Kumar Saxena | 26 May 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 272 days |