list of our current Governors of India

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What is the post of a Governor in India?

• The Governors in India are the constitutional heads and all executive actions of a state are taken in their name
• They are the figurative heads of the state government
• The Governors head India's 29 states and 7 union territories
• A governor must act according to the advice of council ministers, headed by the Chief Minister

Who appoints the Governor?

They are appointed by the President for a term of five years.

What is the difference between the State Governor and Lieutenant Governor?

1. A governor is the head of the state while a Lieutenant Governor is the head of a union territory.
2. The union territories are administered by the President through an administrator, who is appointed by him with a suitable designation -- called either Lieutenant Governor, Chief Commissioner, or Administrator.
3. In Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Delhi, the administrator is called Lt Governor, while in Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep, he/ she is known as an Administrator.

Here is a state-wise list of the current Governors of India:

1. ESL Narasimhan - Andhra Pradesh

• Ekkadu Srinivasan Lakshmi Narasimhan has completed two tenures in the Ministry of External Affairs
• In the first instance, he was posted as the first Secretary in the Embassy of India, Moscow from 1981-84

Andhra pradesh's Governor, Ekkadu Srinivasan Lakshmi Narasimhan.

Narasimhan then took over as the Governor of Chhattisgarh in January 2007 and as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh in January 2010.

He was again appointed as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh in 2012.

2. BD Mishra - Arunachal Pradesh

Brigadier BD Mishra (retired) served the Indian army for 33 years and 7 months with an extended service of two years, granted to him for his meritorious operational service.

Image: arunachalpradesh.gov

He served throughout the three major wars forced on India -- the 1962 Sino-Indian War, 1965 Indo-Pak War, and 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

BD Mishra took oath as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh on October 3, 2017.

3. Jagdish Mukhi - Assam

• Jagdish Mukhi was the finance minister of India in 1994 and was honoured for the same
• He also received the best MLA award in Delhi's Vidhan Sabha twice

Image: assam.gov

• Prior to his post as the Governor of Assam, he served as the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Jagdish Mukhi took oath as the Governor of Assam on October 10, 2017

 

4. Lalji Tandon - Bihar

• Lalji Tandon swore in as the Governor of Bihar on August 23, 2018, replacing Satya Pal Malik

Image: Getty Images

• He served as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council for two terms

5. Anandiben Patel - Chhattisgarh

• Anandiben Patel took oath as the Governor of Chhattisgarh on August 15, 2018
• She was given the additional charge following the death of former Governor Balramji Dass Tandon

Image: Getty Images

• Currently, she is serving as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh

6. Mridula Sinha - Goa

Mridula Sinha took oath as the Governor of Goa on August 31, 2014.

She is also a renowned Hindi writer and former chairperson of the Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB), Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Governor of Goa, Mridula Sinha.

• Sinha is the first woman Governor of Goa with a full-time charge
• Mridula Sinha has written more than 46 books in various disciplines and also wrote a biography on late Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia

7. OP Kohli - Gujarat

• Om Prakash Kohli took an oath as the Governor of Gujarat in 2014
• He served as a member of Rajya Sabha from 1994 to 2000

Image: Getty Images

• Kohli was also president of BJP's Delhi unit for two terms -- 1991-95 and 2009-10

8. Satyadev Narayan Arya - Haryana

• Satyadev Narayan Arya took an oath on August 25, 2018, as the Governor of Haryana
• Arya, a senior BJP leader and an eight-term MLA in Bihar, was also a minister in the 2010 BJP-JDU government in Bihar

Governor of Haryana, Satyadev Narayan Arya.

He previously held the portfolios of the Minister of Rural Development from 1979-80 and the Minister of Mines and Geology, Bihar, in 2010.

9. Acharya Devvrat - Himachal Pradesh

• Acharya Devvrat was sworn-in as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh on August 12, 2015

He served as the Principal of Kurukshetra for 34 years and has been actively involved in social activities including girl's education, promotion of yoga, ayurveda, naturopathy, and environment protection.

Image: himachalpradesh.gov

He was also awarded the American Medal of Honor by the American Biographical Institute for critical contribution to the society.

10. Satya Pal Malik - Jammu and Kashmir

• Prior to his post as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik served as the Governor of Bihar from 2017-18
• He became the first politician to be appointed as governor of the state since the beginning of militancy in the late 1980s

J and K's Governor, Satya Pal Malik.

• Malik was also a Rajya Sabha MP for two terms and a Lok Sabha MP from 1989 to 1990

11. Draupadi Murmu - Jharkhand

• Draupadi Murmu became the first woman to hold the post of Governor
• She took the charge on May 18, 2015
• Murmu is a two-time member of the legislative assembly and a former minister of Odisha

Image: rajbhavanjharkhand.nic

• In 2007, she was honoured with the 'Nilakantha' award for the best MLA of the year

12. Vajubhai Vala - Karnataka

Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker and a multiple-term minister in the Gujarat state cabinet before he was appointed as the governor of Karnataka.

Image: Getty Images

• He took charge in September 2014

Vala served as the finance and revenue minister in Gujarat from 1998 to 2012, following which he was nominated as the speaker of the assembly.

• He also has the record of presenting 18 budgets in Gujarat assembly

13. P Sathasivam - Kerala

• Palanisamy Sathasivam was elevated to the post of Judge of the Supreme Court on August 21, 2007
• He was sworn-in as the 40th Chief Justice of India on July 19, 2013, and retired on April 26, 2014
• He has been a part of several path-breaking judgments, including the 'Reliance Gas Judgment'

Image: Getty Images

Sathasivam also delivered the judgment in the '1993 Mumbai blasts case', sentencing several accused persons including a Bollywood actor to five years of imprisonment.

• He assumed office as the Governor of Kerala on September 5, 2014

14. Anandiben Patel - Madhya Pradesh

• Anandiben Patel was sworn-in as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh on January 23, 2018
• She was a member of Rajya Sabha from 1994-1998

Image: Getty Images

• Patel was also the former chief minister of Gujarat from 2014-2016

15. C Vidyasagar Rao - Maharashtra

Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao, a senior BJP leader from Telangana, took charge on August 30, 2014 as the Governor of Maharashtra.

Image: Getty Images

Rao served as the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and subsequently as Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee from 1999-2004.

16. Najma Heptulla - Manipur

• Najma Akbarali Heptulla, a scientist and zoologist was elected as the member of Rajya Sabha in 1980

Image: Getty Images

• She was elected as the Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha four times
• She holds the record for the longest serving deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha for 17 years

17. Tathagata Roy - Meghalaya

• The former Governor of Tripura, Tathagata Roy assumed office on August 25, 2018, as the Meghalaya Governor
• An engineering graduate, Roy was also an officer of the Indian Railway Service of Engineers from 1967 till 1990

Governor of Tripura, Tathagata Roy.

• He has also authored five books and mostly writes socio-political articles in English and Bengali

18. Kummanam Rajasekharan - Mizoram

• Kummanam Rajasekharan was elected as the governor of Mizoram on May 29, 2018
• A former journalist, he started his career by joining Deepika Daily
• Rajasekharan later became the sub-editor of many newspapers

Image: Getty Images

After taking a break from journalism, he became a full-time social worker and launched several movements to protect the environment, ensure social security, and to empower backward people.

19. PB Acharya - Nagaland

• Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya assumed office on July 14, 2014
• He was the first batch student (1948-50) of Udupi MGM College and later served as a teacher at Vidyarayna School at Kadabettu

Governor of Nagaland, Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya.

Acharya joined the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS) at an early age and was imprisoned for six months in 1948 when the then government had banned RSS.

• He has also served as the national president of ABVP and was also the senate member of Mumbai University for 30 years

20. Ganeshi Lal - Odisha

• Ganeshi Lal was sworn-in as the Governor of Odisha on May 29, 2018
• With a graduate degree in English honours and a post-graduate degree in mathematics, Lal is also a gold medallist
• He also actively participated in the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement

Governor of Odisha, Ganeshi Lal.

Ganeshi Lal is a former State President of Haryana from BJP, a former Chairman of ABVP, Haryana, and former National President of BJP Disciplinary Committee.

21. VP Singh Badnore - Punjab

• VP Singh was a member of the 13th and 14th Lok Sabha and was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha once, in 2010
• A keen swimmer, he participated in national school-level swimming competitions
• Rajya Sabha records describe Badnore as an agriculturist, environmentalist, social worker, and sportsman

Image: Getty Images

VP Singh was a part of the Indian delegations to Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Canada, in 1994, besides the Indian delegation of South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) to Pakistan in 2004.

22. Kalyan Singh - Rajasthan

• Kalyan Singh, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, was appointed as the Governor on September 4, 2014
• He was the health minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1977 and a member of the parliament from 2004 to 2014

Image: Getty Images

• Singh spent 21 months in Aligarh and Banaras Jails during the emergency in 1975-76

23. Ganga Prasad - Sikkim

• Ganga Prasad assumed office on August 27, 2018, replacing Shriniwas Patil

Image: rajbhavansikkim.gov

• He served as a member of Legislative Council of Bihar for 18 years and as the leader of BJP in the Bihar Legislative Council

24. Banwarilal Purohit - Tamil Nadu

• Banwarilal Purohit assumed office on October 6, 2017

Purohit, a veteran political leader from Vidarbha district of Maharashtra, was a three-time Lok Sabha member from Nagpur constituency.

Image: tn.gov

• He left BJP in 1999 after a span of eight years and returned to the Indian National Congress
• After that, Purohit went on to launch his own party, Vidarbha Rajya Party

25. ESL Narasimhan - Telangana

Governor of Telangana, ESL Narasimhan.

Ekkadu Srinivasan Lakshmi Narasimhan also assumed charge of the office of the Governor of Telangana on June 2, 2014, consequent to the bifurcation of the state into successor states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

26. Kaptan Singh Solanki - Tripura

• Kaptan Singh Solanki assumed office on August 25, 2018
• He was the Governor of Haryana for four years
• A former RSS member, Solanki was also the BJP General Secretary of Madhya Pradesh

Image: Getty Images

• He was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha in 2009 and was re-elected in 2012

27. Ram Naik - Uttar Pradesh

• Ram Naik was appointed as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh on July 14, 2014
• Naik was felicitated with 'National Eminence Award' in Mumbai on December 13, 2014
• He was also the former minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas from 1999 to 2004

Image: Getty Images

In the earlier Cabinet, Ram Naik was the Minister of State for Railways (Independent Charge), Home Affairs, Planning and Programme Implementation, and Parliamentary Affairs -- a record number of ministries indeed, all at one time!

28. Baby Rani Maurya - Uttarakhand

Baby Rani Maurya, former mayor of Agra, was sworn-in as the Governor of Uttarakhand on August 21, 2018, replacing Krishna Kant Paul.

• Maurya was the first female mayor of Agra and is the second woman Governor of Uttarakhand

Governor of Uttarakhand, Baby Rani Maurya.

• She did not come from a family of politicians, so she started her political journey as a common party worker of the BJP

29. Keshari Nath Tripathi - West Bengal

• Keshari Nath Tripathi was sworn-in as the Governor of West Bengal in July 2014
• Tripathi started his practice as an advocate in the Allahabad High Court in 1956
• In 1989, he was unanimously designated as a Senior Advocate by the full court

Governor of West bengal, Keshari Nath Tripathi.

• Tripathi's effective public speaking skills made him a popular orator and politician in Allahabad
• He was elected six times as a Member of the UP Legislative Assembly and thrice as the Speaker of the same