After taking oath as the 22nd Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi in May 2022, Vinai Kumar Saxena said he would work as the city’s “local guardian”, and spend more time on the streets and with the people of Delhi than inside his office.Over the months and years that followed, Saxena was indeed seen frequently on the ground, carrying out inspections of ongoing projects over the weekends along with teams of officials.However, the LG’s three-year-and-nine-month tenure put him most visibly at the centre of a series of political flashpoints in the capital.Saxena’s repeated run-ins with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal shaped much of the fraught debate on governance and the exercise of power in the national capital.The LG ordered inquiries into decisions taken by the AAP government and raised questions over its policies and appointments. The back-and-forth between Raj Niwas and the elected government often played out in public statements, official letters, and court battles. Chief Minister Kejriwal sarcastically described the communication from Saxena as “love letters”.The relationship between the two men started off in a public show of cordiality. “I assure that the Delhi government will provide full support to the new LG. We have done several developmental works together with his predecessor, Anil Baijal, and hope to continue the same with Saxenaji. We are looking forward to it,” Kejriwal said at the LG’s swearing-in ceremony. However, the tussle between Raj Niwas and the AAP government began within a week.On June 1, 2022, Saxena held a meeting with officials of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and issued directions to them, which drew sharp objections from the government, which accused him of “overstepping his jurisdiction”. Two days previously, on May 30, senior AAP leader and then PWD Minister Satyendar Jain had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged money laundering.Story continues below this adAlso Read | ‘If India’s capital looks like a slum, how are you going to project it?’ Delhi L-G VK Saxena and NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant at ExpressoOn July 22, 2022, Saxena recommended a CBI investigation against then Deputy Chief Minister and Excise Minister Manish Sisodia over allegations of corruption in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, which was implemented in November 2021.The controversy over the alleged “liquor scam” would expand dramatically, and lead to almost all important figures in the AAP, including Chief Minister Kejriwal himself, being jailed.The policy was withdrawn on September 1, 2022, but the taint of corruption persisted, and contributed to the defeat of the AAP in the Assembly election of 2025. On February 27 this year, a special court threw out all charges in the CBI case, and discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia, and 21 other accused.In August 2022, Saxena sought a report from the chief secretary on the delay in the Vigilance action on the report of the CVC inquiry into the construction of additional classrooms in government schools. He also raised questions on declining enrolment and rising absenteeism despite the higher spending on education.Story continues below this adThe following month, Saxena approved an investigation into alleged irregularities in the procurement of 1,000 low-floor buses by the AAP government.As the tussle and turf wars between the LG and the AAP government grew, the government filed several cases in court against Saxena, alleging that he was interfering in the day-to-day functioning of the government, and deliberately stalling policies, projects, and welfare schemes meant for the public.In the constitutional scheme applicable to Delhi, the LG has control over law and order, services and land, while the elected government handles other matters. However, files and approvals for major policy decisions have to go through the LG.Saxena granted sanction to investigative agencies such as the CBI, the Vigilance Department, and the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to probe alleged corruption in the expansive renovation of the former CM’s residence, which the BJP referred to as “Sheesh Mahal”. He also recommended the suspension of nine PWD officials allegedly involved in the tendering of the project.Story continues below this adOf the more than 20 court cases filed by the AAP government, 12 involved the LG.Among these cases were those relating to the release of funds for the DJB by the Finance Department, challenges to the ordinance promulgated by the President in 2023 amending the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act, 1991, Section 45D of the GNCTD Act, and the appointment of the chairperson and members of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC).Also Read | Explained: Case against Kejriwal and Sisodia, now discharged in alleged Delhi liquor policy scamOther disputes involved the stoppage of funds, and issues relating to the MCD Aldermen case in the Supreme Court, including a plea that until the announcement of the judgment, the powers of the Standing Committee may be exercised by the corporation.Last month, the BJP government of Delhi moved to withdraw most of the cases that the AAP government had filed against the Centre, the LG, and some officials who headed government departments at the time. The move would help the government implement a number of stalled projects and schemes in Delhi, officials had told The Indian Express.Story continues below this adThe improvement in the revenue surplus of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) over the last three years is credited to the personal monitoring of projects by the outgoing LG.Saxena also restarted the Yamuna Redevelopment Committee, under which several projects were taken up. Some of the key projects for which Saxena is credited include Asita Park on the Yamuna bank near ITO and Baansera Park near Sarai Kale Khan, the redevelopment of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, and the initiative to start hot air balloon rides for Delhiites.Unlike most of his predecessors who were IAS and IPS officers, LG Saxena had a non-bureaucratic background, because of which he was often described as an “outsider”.Before becoming LG, Saxena was chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) from October 2015 onward.Story continues below this adDuring these seven years at the head of KVIC, he worked on several initiatives and schemes including the Honey Mission, Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana, Leather Artisans’ Empowerment Programme, Khadi Prakritik Paint, Project RE-HAB, Khadi Fabric Footwear, and plastic-mixed handmade paper.According to Saxena’s profile on the KVIC website, he holds a pilot’s licence, and is a “philanthropist in vision and a corporate scientist in action”.Earlier in his career, Saxena had worked with the JK Group as an assistant manager for 11 years, and was later promoted to General Manager to oversee a proposed port project in Gujarat.