The 1969 batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) of the Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, Anil Baijal, will be sworn in as new lieutenant-Governor of Delhi on Saturday at 11 am.
The ex-Union Home Secretary, Baijal, would be the 21st l-G of Delhi, succeeding Najeeb Jung whose sudden resignation last week took everyone by surprise.
The AAP has already made it known that the party expects that Baijal as the l-G will clear the developmental works of the Kejriwal Government.
While the ruling AAP was continuously at loggerheads with Jung over a range of issues, the party or none of its senior Ministers have reacted to Baijal's appointment.
With Jung at Raj Niwas, confrontation between the AAP Government and the Centre had escalated on a range of contentious issues, including control over bureaucracy.
Baijal will be administrated oath of office and secrecy by Chief Justice of Delhi High Court G Rohini at Raj Niwas in Civil lanes area of North Delhi. While Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his Cabinet colleagues, senior bureaucrats of Delhi Government and a host of invitees are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony, sources told The Pioneer that Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia would speak on the appointment only after the oath ceremony.
Baijal has served as Union Home Secretary under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government, besides holding key positions in other Ministries.
Baijal is a hard task master who is expected to take a series of important decisions.
The Kejriwal Government and Jung were perennially at loggerheads with the later stalling many projects of AAP Government after he formed Shunglu Committee to probe over 400 files related to various decisions taken by the Delhi Government since coming to power. The probe panel was set up after the Delhi High Court recognised l-G as the administrative head of the Delhi Government.
Meanwhile, BJP’s Delhi unit leaders have started the chorus that Baijal should follow the footsteps of his predecessor Jung and work under the Constitutional provisions. The Congress has started making noises and wants Baijal to release Shunglu Committee report that reportedly had found anomalies in the functioning of the Government.