Dehradun: After Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttarakhand Governor Lieutenant General (Retd.) Gurmit Singh has also entered the record books by becoming the longest-serving Governor in the state’s history since its formation.
Governor Gurmit Singh was sworn in as the eighth Governor of Uttarakhand on September 15, 2021. On Monday, after completing 1,755 days in office, he surpassed the nearly 19-year-old record previously held by former Governor Sudarshan Agarwal.
The earlier record belonged to Sudarshan Agarwal, who served as Governor from January 8, 2003, to October 28, 2007, completing a tenure of 1,755 days.
Lieutenant General (Retd.) Gurmit Singh is a distinguished former senior officer of the Indian Army. During his nearly four-decade military career, he was awarded several prestigious military honours, including the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM). He retired as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff on January 31, 2016.
Born on February 1, 1956, in Jalal Usman village of Punjab’s Amritsar district, Gurmit Singh studied at Sainik School, Kapurthala. During his military service, he represented India in border negotiations with China and Pakistan and played a significant role in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and the North-East.
His extended tenure as Governor is being regarded as a significant milestone in Uttarakhand’s constitutional history. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recently became the Bharatiya Janata Party’s longest-serving Chief Minister in Uttarakhand and is expected to surpass the tenure record of former Chief Minister N. D. Tiwari on July 9.
