New Delhi/Port Blair: The Rajya Sabha MP and former Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Dr. Dinesh Sharma has been appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. According to the official notification, the appointment will take effect from the date Dr. Sharma assumes charge of his office.Dr. Sharma succeeds Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi (Retd.), a former Chief of the Naval Staff who served as the Lieutenant Governor of the archipelago since October 8, 2017. The transition comes at a pivotal period for the strategically critical Union Territory, where the central government has been steering massive infrastructure, maritime security, transshipment port, and eco-tourism initiatives across the Bay of Bengal.
A professor of commerce by profession, Dr. Dinesh Sharma spent decades teaching at the University of Lucknow after joining the faculty in the late 1980s. He entered mainstream municipal politics through student and youth party wings, eventually serving two consecutive terms as Mayor of Lucknow from 2006 to 2017. Between March 2017 and March 2022, Dr. Sharma served as Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh alongside Keshav Prasad Maurya in the first Yogi Adityanath-led cabinet. During this tenure, he oversaw portfolios including Higher and Secondary Education, Science and Technology, and Information Technology.
Following his state tenure, he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in September 2023 to fill the vacancy created by the demise of BJP leader Hardwar Dubey, and went on to serve on the Upper House’s panel of Vice Chairpersons.
Reacting to the appointment, Dr. Sharma expressed his gratitude to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the party’s central leadership. He stated that he views the new administrative posting not merely as an office, but as a deep constitutional responsibility dedicated to national development and public welfare. Dr. Sharma is expected to arrive in Port Blair shortly to take the formal oath of office.
