Anil Baijal was always rated by his peers as one of the most competent bureaucrats of his time. Considered extremely close to Mr L.K.Advani at one juncture, he was appointed as the Home Secretary by him. It was said at that time that if and when Advani would become the Prime Minister, Baijal would be his first choice for the position of principal secretary. However, that did not happen and the 1969 batch IAS officer occupied key assignments at the Centre. After Najib Jung decided to resign suddenly as the Delhi Lt. Governor, the Union government brought him as his successor. Surprisingly Baijal maintained a low key and other than getting into showdowns with the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation in Delhi, he was virtually not accessible. When Shaheen Bagh protests were happening, he chose to take a back seat and it was the Home Minister himself who had to take the lead. It was unthinkable that Baijal by choice was perhaps just bidding his time. Finally earlier in the week, he tendered his resignation citing personal reasons. The speculation remains that he could be given an important assignment by the Centre. However, the point is that the post of the Lt.Governor, especially for Delhi is vital and the LG acts as the agent of the Centre in overseeing both the police and the land management. The DDA is headed by him and he is the nodal functionary for many important decisions. Delhi has over the years had several Lt. Governors but there is a near unanimity that there has been none better than Vijai Kapoor who held the office during the tenure of Atal Behari Vajpayee as the Prime Minister. The advantage which Vijai Kapoor had was that he had served the city in almost every capacity from ADM, SDM, Municipal Commissioner, Head of Delhi Electric Supply Undertaking to Chief Secretary. Therefore, no one knew the city better than him. He did not require the assistance of any aide to guide him on how to tackle a problem. He himself knew what it would be and could solve the most complicated issues with great ease. Vijai Kapoor had very cordial relations with then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and also enjoyed the confidence of the Centre. He could delicately balance the relationship and deliver. This quality has been lacking in many of the other Lt. Governors who essentially served as “Laat Sahebs’’ rather than servers of the common people. Other than Vijai Kapoor, Delhi has also some notable LGs such as Jagmohan, who held the position twice, H.K.L.Kapur, Tejinder Khanna and Najib Jung. In the 1970s, the late AN Jha became the city’s first LG. One of his successors, Kishen Chand, served during the emergency but later on being hounded by the Shah Commission, allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a well near Shahpur Jat village in South Delhi where the Asiad Games complex later came up. DR Kohli was also a very distinguished bureaucrat who was the LG during the Janata Party rule. The point is that it is the prerogative of the Centre to appoint the LG but it is equally up to the chosen person to deliver and leave a mark on the city’s history.