He was appointed the national capital's LG in December 2016 after the sudden resignation of Najeeb Jung.
However, Baijal's long tenure was not without conflict with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over many issues.
The biggest tussle was seen when Kejriwal and his cabinet of ministers held a dharna at the LG office, accusing Baijal of not letting the government run smoothly by not working to resolve the issues between bureaucrats and the government in Delhi.
Differences had flared up again when the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, was passed by the Parliament in 2021, which effectively made the LG the overall head of the Delhi government.
Baijal had earlier served as DDA vice-chairperson and Union Home Secretary during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
He was transferred to the urban development ministry by the Congress-led UPA government where he oversaw the planning and implementation of the ₹60,000 crore Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
The 1969 batch AGMUT cadre, short for Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory, has also headed public sector companies including Prasar Bharati and Indian Airlines.
