Jammu, July 19 -- Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Kavinder Gupta was sworn in as the new lieutenant governor (LG) of Ladakh on Friday, four days after President Droupadi Murmu appointed him to the post. Soon after the oath ceremony, Gupta expressed his desire to rebuild Ladakh and make it a global tourism destination. "I have been appointed here to the post of lieutenant governor. I want to assure the people of Ladakh that rising above religion, caste, and party politics, we will all work together to rebuild a new Ladakh," Gupta told reporters soon after taking over as lieutenant governor. He further said, "There is still a lot that needs to be done. There is no doubt that Ladakh faced a lot of discrimination in the past." Gupta was administered the oath of office in Leh by the chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh high court, Justice Arun Palli, at a ceremony held at Ladakh Raj Niwas in Leh, officials said. Chief Secretary Pawan Kotwal read the official warrant of appointment. Gupta, 66, who started off as worker of Rashtriya Swayamasevak Sangh, is the third LG of Ladakh, succeeding Brigadier BD Mishra, who assumed the role in February 2024. He follows R K Mathur, Ladakh's first LG after Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized in 2019. A veteran BJP leader from Jammu's Janipur, Gupta has held several key posts in the past, both in the government and within his party. He was the as speaker of the J&K legislative assembly and also served as mayor of Jammu for three consecutive terms. He also led the BJP's youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), for two terms and spent 13 months in jail during the emergency as an RSS worker. Gupta was first elected as MLA from Gandhi Nagar assembly constituency in 2014, defeating Congress leader Raman Bhalla. Gupta's appointment comes at a time when the region was riled in a protracted agitation demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule. "We want to take Ladakh to a level where it is recognised globally as a top tourism destination-just like other places in the world known for tourism," he said....