Dr Dinesh Sharma took oath as the 14th Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 15 September 2026 at Lok Niwas in Sri Vijaya Puram. President Droupadi Murmu had appointed him to the post on 5 September 2026. He succeeds Admiral D K Joshi (Retd), who headed the Union Territory for nearly nine years since October 2017.
Appointment and Swearing In
President Droupadi Murmu appointed Dr Dinesh Sharma as Lieutenant Governor with effect from the date he assumes charge of office. The order was conveyed through a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique issued late on 5 September 2026. Sharma arrived in the islands from New Delhi on 13 September 2026 along with his wife Jai Lakshmi Sharma.
The swearing in ceremony was held on 15 September 2026 at Lok Niwas, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor in Sri Vijaya Puram. Sri Vijaya Puram is the new name of Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge, the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, administered the oath of office and secrecy. The Calcutta High Court has jurisdiction over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Chief Secretary Gyanesh Bharti read out the Warrant of Appointment during the ceremony.
Sharma had resigned from the Rajya Sabha before taking up the new role. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in a by election in 2023 and also served as a Vice Chairperson of the House. His resignation was accepted on 11 September 2026, and the seat was later declared vacant.
Who Is Dr Dinesh Sharma
Dr Dinesh Sharma was born on 12 January 1964 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He is 62 years old. By training he is an academic. He earned his M.Com and Ph.D from Lucknow University and taught in the Department of Commerce at the university.
He began his public life in student politics through the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He later headed the Lucknow unit of the Parishad and served as state president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He also worked in the election office for former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the 2004 Lok Sabha campaign from Lucknow.
Sharma first gained wide administrative experience as Mayor of Lucknow. He was elected Mayor in November 2006 and was re elected in 2012 with a margin of more than 1.71 lakh votes. He held the post for two terms till 2017 and also headed the Uttar Pradesh Mayors Council. In August 2014, he became a national vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party and later handled organisational charge including the party membership drive.
His biggest promotion came in March 2017. After the party won the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, he was appointed Deputy Chief Minister on 19 March 2017 in the first government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He served alongside Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya till March 2022. During this period he handled higher and secondary education, science and technology, and electronics and information technology. He was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and was Leader of the House in the Council.
After the 2022 state elections, he moved to national politics. He was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in September 2023 in the by election caused by the death of MP Hardwar Dubey. The Rajya Sabha is the Upper House of Parliament and its members from Uttar Pradesh are elected by the state legislators. In Parliament he served on the panel of Vice Chairpersons and was associated with work including the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language.
| Role | Period | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Professor, Lucknow University | Before 2006 | Taught commerce, holds M.Com and Ph.D |
| Mayor of Lucknow | 2006 to 2017 | Two terms, re elected in 2012 by over 1.71 lakh votes |
| Deputy Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh | 19 March 2017 to 25 March 2022 | Handled education, science and technology, electronics and IT |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | September 2023 to September 2026 | Elected from Uttar Pradesh, served as Vice Chairperson |
| Lt Governor, Andaman and Nicobar Islands | From 15 September 2026 | 14th Lt Governor, based at Sri Vijaya Puram |
Admiral D K Joshi: The Outgoing Lieutenant Governor
Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi was born on 4 July 1954 in Almora, now in Uttarakhand. He is a specialist in anti submarine warfare. He studied at the Naval War College in the United States, the College of Naval Warfare in Mumbai and the National Defence College in New Delhi.
He served in the Indian Navy from 1974 to 2014. At sea he commanded the guided missile corvette INS Kuthar, the guided missile destroyer INS Ranvir and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat. At senior levels he commanded the Eastern Fleet, headed the Andaman and Nicobar Command, led the Western Naval Command and served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff. He became the 21st Chief of the Naval Staff on 31 August 2012. He resigned on 26 February 2014, taking responsibility after a series of naval accidents.
Admiral Joshi took charge as the 14th Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 8 October 2017. He succeeded Jagdish Mukhi. His tenure lasted nearly nine years, making it one of the longest continuous tenures for the post. He also served as Vice Chairman of the Islands Development Agency. The Islands Development Agency was set up on 1 June 2017 under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister to guide holistic development of island territories with support from NITI Aayog. NITI Aayog is the National Institution for Transforming India, the central policy think tank formed in 2015 and headquartered in New Delhi.
During his tenure, the administration focused on road links such as National Highway 4, bridges including the Azad Hind Fauj Setu, digital links through the Chennai Andaman and Nicobar Islands submarine optical fibre cable, and power, port and tourism projects. He was given a ceremonial Guard of Honour by the Andaman and Nicobar Police on 10 September 2026 as his tenure drew to a close.
How the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Are Administered
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a Union Territory without a legislature. A Union Territory is an administrative unit directly controlled by the Union Government, unlike a state which has its own elected government with wider powers. Under Article 239 of the Constitution, every Union Territory is administered by the President acting through an administrator appointed by the President. In this Union Territory, the administrator carries the title of Lieutenant Governor.
Under Article 240, the President can make regulations for the peace, progress and good government of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Such a regulation has the same force as an Act of Parliament. The Lieutenant Governor is therefore the constitutional head of the islands and works through the Chief Secretary and departmental secretaries. The headquarters of the administration is at Sri Vijaya Puram.
The islands hold high strategic value. They form the largest archipelago system in the Bay of Bengal with 836 islands, islets and rocks. They sit near the Strait of Malacca, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. They also host India’s only tri service theatre command, the Andaman and Nicobar Command, which brings the Army, Navy and Air Force under a single Commander in Chief. This is why development of ports, airfields, digital links and shipping services in the islands is closely watched at the national level.
Key Takeaways
- Dr Dinesh Sharma took oath as the 14th Lt Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 15 September 2026 at Lok Niwas, Sri Vijaya Puram.
- He was appointed by President Droupadi Murmu on 5 September 2026 and succeeded Admiral D K Joshi, who served from 8 October 2017.
- Sharma earlier served as Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 19 March 2017 to March 2022 and as Mayor of Lucknow from 2006 to 2017.
- He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in September 2023 and resigned on 11 September 2026 before assuming the new post.
- Under Article 239 of the Constitution, the Union Territory is administered by the President through the Lieutenant Governor, who is the constitutional head.
