Centre appoints new governors for six states, Arlekar gets full-time Tamil Nadu role
President Droupadi Murmu has approved a series of gubernatorial appointments involving six states, including the formal appointment of Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar as Tamil Nadu Governor.
According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan announcement, Om Prakash Mathur will move from Sikkim to Kerala, while Sudha Yadav has been named Governor of Karnataka. Braj Mohan Ram will take charge in Odisha, Dhal Singh Bisen has been appointed Governor of Uttarakhand, and Dushyant Gautam will become the Governor of Sikkim.
The appointments will come into effect once the respective appointees assume office.
Arlekar had been handling the responsibilities of Tamil Nadu Governor since March, after R. N. Ravi was transferred to West Bengal. His new appointment formalises his position. He previously served as Governor of Kerala and held gubernatorial posts in Himachal Pradesh and Bihar.
Before entering the gubernatorial role, Arlekar was Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly from 2012 to 2017. During his tenure, the assembly adopted a paperless working system. He also served in the Goa government as Minister for Forest and Environment and Panchayati Raj.
Mathur, a senior BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, will succeed Arlekar in Kerala. He became Sikkim Governor in July 2024 and previously held senior organisational positions in the BJP, including national vice-president and general secretary. He served in the Rajya Sabha from 2008 to 2022.
Braj Mohan Ram, a former Lok Sabha member from Palamu, will replace Hari Babu Kambhampati in Odisha.
Sudha Yadav, a former BJP parliamentarian from Mahendragarh in Haryana, will succeed Thaawarchand Gehlot in Karnataka. She has also served on the National Commission for Backward Classes and was appointed national in-charge of the BJP’s OBC Morcha in 2015. In August 2022, she joined the BJP Parliamentary Board, becoming its second woman member after Sushma Swaraj.
Bisen, a former Lok Sabha MP representing Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, will replace Lieutenant General (retired) Gurmit Singh in Uttarakhand.