President appoints 6 governors, emphasizes OBC-Dalit representation
What's the story
President Droupadi Murmu has appointed six governors across Indian states. The appointments are significant as they emphasize representation from Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Dalit communities. The new appointees include Sudha Yadav as Governor of Karnataka, Dhal Singh Bisen for Uttarakhand, Braj Mohan Ram for Odisha, and Dushyant Gautam for Sikkim.
Profile
Sudha Yadav - Karnataka
Sudha Yadav has been appointed as the Governor of Karnataka. A former Lok Sabha MP from Haryana's Mahendragarh, she is a member of the BJP Parliamentary Board.
She holds an MSc and PhD in Chemistry from IIT Roorkee and was on the National Commission for Backward Classes between 2019 and 2022.
A Yadav OBC leader, she entered politics after her husband Sukhbir Singh Yadav was martyred in the Kargil War.
Profile
Dhal Singh Bisen - Uttarakhand
Dhal Singh Bisen has been appointed as the Governor of Uttarakhand.
He is a former Lok Sabha MP from Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, and has been an MLA and Cabinet Minister in Madhya Pradesh.
An Ayurveda practitioner by profession, Bisen is an OBC (Bhoyar Pawar) leader with a keen interest in Indian systems of medicine.
Profile
Braj Mohan Ram - Odisha
Braj Mohan Ram has been appointed as the Governor of Odisha.
A Dalit leader from Jharkhand's Dhobi community, he is a former parliamentarian who represented Palamu in the Lok Sabha for three consecutive terms since 1996.
Ram has been associated with the Scheduled Caste Morcha and Dhobi Mahasangh and has worked on educational initiatives in Chandwa.
Profile
Dushyant Gautam - Sikkim
Dushyant Gautam has been appointed as the Governor of Sikkim.
A Dalit leader, he is a former BJP National General Secretary and national president of the party's Scheduled Caste Morcha.
He has served as a councilor in Delhi's Municipal Corporation and was a Rajya Sabha member.
His appointment recognizes his work for Scheduled Caste communities within the BJP.
Reshuffle
Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar moved to Tamil Nadu
The appointments also saw a reshuffle in the form of Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar moving to Tamil Nadu. He was sworn in as Kerala Governor on January 2, 2025.
Sikkim Governor Om Prakash Mathur has been moved to Kerala in place of Arlekar.
The appointments are effective from the date of assumption of office by the respective appointees.