Accepting the resignations of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Radha Krishnan Mathur, President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday appointed Governors in 12 States and the Lieutenant Governor in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
A press communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan reads: “The President has accepted the resignations of Bhagat Singh Koshyari as Governor of Maharashtra and Radha Krishnan Mathur as Lt Governor of Ladakh.”
Ramesh Bais, Governor of Jharkhand, has now been appointed the Governor of Maharashtra, while Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), who is the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, has been appointed the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, the press communique said.
Justice (Retd) S Abdul Nazeer has been appointed the Governor of Andhra Pradesh.
Let Gen Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik, PVSM, UYSM, YSM (Retired) has been appointed the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, Lakshman Prasad Acharya the Governor of Sikkim, CP Radhakrishnan the Governor of Jharkhand, Shiv Pratap Shukla the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, and Gulab Chand Kataria the Governor of Assam, the press communique said.
“Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, the Governor of Andhra Pradesh has now been appointed as the Governor of Chhattisgarh. Sushri Anusuiya Uikye, the Governor of Chhattisgarh has been appointed as Governor of Manipur. La Ganesan, the Governor of Manipur has been appointed as the Governor of Nagaland. Phagu Chauhan, the Governor of Bihar has now been appointed as Governor of Meghalaya, and Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, has now been appointed as the Governor of Bihar,” the press communique further said.
“The appointments will take effect from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices,” it added.
Koshyari offered to step down from his position last month amid a raging controversy over his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that led to calls for his resignation.
A statement from the Raj Bhavan had said that Koshyari wanted to retire from political life and that he had conveyed his desire to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well.
“During the recent visit of the Prime Minister to Mumbai, I have conveyed to him my desire to be discharged of all political responsibilities and to spend the remainder of my life in reading, writing and other activities,” the statement reads.
Koshyari was appointed the Governor of Maharashtra in September 2019.
In November last year, he courted controversy after calling Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj an “old icon” while addressing a function at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad.
An outrage sparked following his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a revered figure in Maharashtra.
Shortly after President Murmu accepted Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s resignation as Governor of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray hailed the decision and said that it is a big win for Maharashtra.
“Big win for Maharashtra! The resignation of the anti-Maharashtra Governor has finally been accepted! He constantly insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Pule and Savitri bai Phule, our Constitution, Assembly and democratic ideals, cannot be accepted as a Governor!,” tweeted Aaditya Thackeray.