US appoints Atul Keshap as next chargé d'affaires in India, still no sign of naming an ambassadorial candidate

The Biden administration appointed Atul Keshap, a career diplomat with extensive experience in South Asia, as the next chargé d'affaires in India on Tuesday, saying the decision will strengthen bilateral cooperation and coordination in the battle against Covid-19.

Following current chargé d'affaires Daniel Smith's retirement, Keshap will depart for New Delhi, according to the US State Department. A chargé d'affaires is a diplomat who acts as the chief of mission for an embassy in the absence of the ambassador.

The State Department in an official statement said, “Ambassador Keshap’s appointment will reinforce the close U.S. partnership with the Government and people of India, demonstrated by our collaboration to overcome global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Mr. Keshap has previously served as Deputy Assistance Secretary for South Asia as well as in the American Embassy in New Delhi.

He formerly served as the United States' Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, where he was instrumental in establishing the United States-Maldives defence cooperation. In September 2020, the two nations agreed upon a framework for their security partnership.

The Biden administration has submitted numerous ambassadorial nominees to the Senate, it has been striking silent on the appointment of an ambassador to New Delhi.

Mr. Keshap's appointment draws attention to the fact that the White House has not to submitted to the United States Senate the candidacy of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, whose name has been circulating for the Ambassador position in New Delhi since the end of May.

Kenneth Juster, the former ambassador, was a political appointment of the previous government who stepped down after Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election.

Mr. Keshap's last posting was to serve as the US envoy to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and also the principal deputy assistant secretary of state for the bureau of East Asian and Pacific affairs at the State Department. He has also been involved in pushing the US Indo-Pacific strategy.