HP CM Sukhu welcomes new Governor Kavinder Gupta, hopes for support

Kavinder Gupta took oath as the 30th Governor of Himachal Pradesh. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu welcomed him, expressing hope that Gupta would work collectively and maintain constitutional balance, replacing Shiv Pratap Shukla in the role.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday welcomed Kavinder Gupta after he took oath as the 30th Governor of Himachal Pradesh, expressing hope that the new Governor would work by taking everyone along.

Greeting the newly sworn-in Governor, Sukhu said Gupta had expressed the intent to work collectively and maintain the constitutional balance expected from the office. "He has said that he will take everyone with him. Definitely, the role of a Governor is a constitutional role, and he has to take both sides along. What he has said is a good thing," Sukhu said. The Chief Minister also recalled the cooperation extended by the previous Governor. "The previous Governor always supported us, and we hope that our new Governor will also continue to support us," Sukhu added.

Swearing-in Ceremony

Earlier in the day, Kavinder Gupta was administered the oath of office and secrecy as the 30th Governor of Himachal Pradesh by Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court GS Sandhawalia at Lok Bhawan in Shimla in a solemn ceremony attended by senior political leaders, officials and dignitaries. In a break from tradition, the full version of the national song "Vande Mataram" was played at the beginning of the ceremony and again at its conclusion before the National Anthem.

Gupta was appointed Governor of Himachal Pradesh by the President of India on March 5. He replaced Shiv Pratap Shukla, who has been appointed Governor of Telangana. Shukla was accorded a warm send-off by the Himachal Pradesh government on Monday.

About Kavinder Gupta

Born on December 2, 1959, in Jammu, Kavinder Gupta is a senior public figure with over four decades of experience in public life and governance. He began his public life with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the early 1970s and was imprisoned during the Emergency (1975-77) for his activism. He later served as Secretary of the Punjab unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) between 1978 and 1979.

Gupta went on to hold several positions in the Bharatiya Janata Party's youth wing, including District President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in 1988 and State President of BJYM in Jammu and Kashmir from 1993 to 1998. He entered electoral politics at the municipal level and became the first Mayor of the Jammu Municipal Corporation, serving three consecutive terms between 2005 and 2010.

Key Political Roles

In 2014, he was elected BJP MLA from the Gandhi Nagar Assembly constituency in Jammu. In March 2015, he became Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, the first BJP leader to hold the post. Gupta later served as Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in April 2018.

Before his appointment as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, he served as the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh, having been appointed to the post on July 14, 2025.

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