Dinesh Sharma, a prominent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Uttar Pradesh who served as the state’s Deputy Chief Minister during the first Yogi Adityanath government, has been appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
President Droupadi Murmu approved the appointment on September 5, with the new assignment taking effect from the date Sharma assumes charge. He will succeed Admiral D K Joshi (retd), who has held the post since October 2017.
The appointment marks another significant turn in the political career of the 62-year-old leader, who moved from academia and municipal politics in Lucknow to the state cabinet and subsequently to Parliament.
FROM PROFESSOR TO LUCKNOW MAYOR
Born on January 12, 1964, Sharma is an academic by background. He was
associated with the University of Lucknow, where he taught in the Commerce Department. His academic profile includes an M.Com and PhD from Lucknow University. Sharma entered active politics through the BJP’s student and youth organisations. He was associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and later headed the BJP’s youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, in Uttar Pradesh. He subsequently rose through the BJP organisation and served as the party’s national vice-president. His first major electoral-administrative role came in Lucknow, where he served as Mayor from 2006 to 2017. His long tenure at the helm of the state capital’s civic body helped establish him as one of the BJP’s prominent leaders in Uttar Pradesh.
आपकी शुभकामनाओं के लिए बहुत–बहुत धन्यवाद आभार। https://t.co/AYM89dTQ5H
— Dr Dinesh Sharma BJP (@drdineshbjp) September 6, 2026
EVELATION AS DEPUTY CM
Sharma’s biggest political elevation came after the BJP returned to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017. On March 19, 2017, he was appointed one of the two Deputy Chief Ministers in Yogi Adityanath’s first government, alongside Keshav Prasad Maurya.
During his five-year tenure, Sharma handled key portfolios including Secondary and Higher Education, Science and Technology, and Electronics and Information Technology. He also served as Leader of the House in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
Although he was not an MLA, Sharma entered the state legislature through the Legislative Council in 2017 and remained a member until 2023.
His tenure as Deputy Chief Minister ended in March 2022 when the BJP formed its second consecutive government under Yogi Adityanath and Brajesh Pathak replaced him as Deputy Chief Minister.
After leaving the UP government, Sharma moved to national politics. The BJP nominated him for a Rajya Sabha by-election in 2023 following the death of party MP Hardwar Dubey. He was elected unopposed and became a member of the Upper House from Uttar Pradesh.
In Parliament, Sharma also served as Vice-Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. His appointment as Lieutenant Governor comes even as his Rajya Sabha term was scheduled to continue until November 25, 2026.
OUT OF ELECTORAL POLITICS
Sharma’s career has taken him through several layers of public life — from student politics and the BJP organisation to municipal administration, state government and Parliament.
His appointment as Lieutenant Governor now takes him out of electoral politics and into a constitutional office responsible for the administration of the strategically important Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The President’s communique makes clear that Sharma’s appointment will formally take effect from the day he assumes charge.
The move also marks the latest chapter in a political journey that began in Lucknow’s academic and civic circles and eventually took Sharma to the UP cabinet, the Rajya Sabha and now the Lieutenant Governor’s office in the island territory.
