Karnataka, MP, other states get new Governors. Check list here
President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed new Governors for eight states. In most of the appointments, sitting Governors were transferred to other states while some states saw fresh appointments. The major reshuffle of Governors comes ahead of a possible expansion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Union Cabinet, expected later this week. You can check the list of new Governors here.
Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot, 83, has been named the Governor of Karnataka, in what can be seen as a big hint to upcoming changes in the Cabinet. He had been serving as the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment. Separately, Hari Babu Kambhampati will take over as the Governor of Mizoram while Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel has been appointed as Madhya Pradesh's Governor.
"I express my gratitude toward the President for appointing me as the Governor. I would also like to thank the Prime Minister, Amit Shah ji and JP Nadda ji," Patel, Madhya Pradesh's Governor designate, told news agency ANI.
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is the new Governor of Himachal Pradesh. PS Sreedharan Pillai, the Governor of Mizoram, has now been transferred to Goa. Satyadev Narayan Arya, Haryana's Governor, will move to Tripura while the north-eastern state's Governor Ramesh Bais will shift to Jharkhand. Bandaru Dattatreya, the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, will assume office as Haryana Governor, reports say.
Sources said the government has accorded "respect and dignity to all sections" through the fresh appointments, according to NDTV. "There are a record number of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and Other Backward Class (OBC) Governors," they stated. "Three Jat leaders (Jagdeep Dhankar, Acharya Devvrat, and Satyapal Malik) are currently serving as Governors - such respect is unparalleled," the sources added.
The appointments come ahead of an expected reshuffle and expansion of the Union Cabinet, likely to be announced this week. The government is looking to add Ministers from a variety of castes and states in view of the Assembly elections, due next year. Leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia and former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal are said to be the frontrunners to become Ministers.
