RN Ravi Appointed West Bengal Governor in Major Raj Bhavan Reshuffle

After C V Ananda Bose abruptly resigned earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi was appointed as the new governor of West Bengal on Thursday. This appointment has triggered a new conflict between the BJP and its opponents in the state and here.

The appointment was a part of a major reshuffle of gubernatorial posts effected in several states and Union territories by President Droupadi Murmu late on Thursday night.

Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta of Ladakh was named governor of Himachal Pradesh, and Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retired) was named governor of Bihar. Arif Mohammed Khan, who was sworn in as governor of Bihar on January 2 of last year, is succeeded by Hasnain.

However, the political circles were abuzz with the unexpected resignation of Bose as the West Bengal governor just weeks before the Assembly polls there.

In a communique, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said that President Murmu has accepted Bose's resignation.

Talking to PTI over the phone from Delhi, Bose said, "Yes, I have resigned. I have been the Governor of Bengal for three-and-a-half years; it's enough for me."

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee immediately added a political edge to his exit, alleging that Bose may have been pressured by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to "serve certain political interests" ahead of the polls.

According to a statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will take over as governor of Tamil Nadu once Ravi relocates to West Bengal.

As the governor of Tamil Nadu, Ravi—a former deputy national security adviser—often engaged in public disputes with the DMK government in the southern state, led by M K Stalin, over several matters.

In a few months, Tamil Nadu will hold assembly elections.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh described Ravi as "very much part of the Modi ecosystem." "He moved to Tamil Nadu, where he has been a perfect disgrace. Now he is shifted to West Bengal, where he is guaranteed to make a nuisance of himself!" Ramesh posted on X, adding that Bose's predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar had also seen a contentious exit before becoming vice-president.

As part of Thursday's reshuffle, President Murmu appointed former Indian ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu as the lieutenant governor (LG) of Delhi. He succeeds Vinai Kumar Saxena, who has been appointed as Ladakh's L-G in place of Gupta.

Gupta has been named the Himachal Pradesh Governor. He will succeed Shiv Pratap Shukla, who will be Telangana's Governor.

The governor of Telangana, Jishnu Dev Varma, has been named governor of Maharashtra. After C P Radhakrishnan resigned after being elected as the nation's vice president in September of last year, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat was handed the additional responsibility of Maharashtra.

Nand Kishore Yadav, a seasoned BJP veteran and former speaker of the Bihar Assembly, has been named governor of Nagaland. Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the governor of Manipur, has also been serving as the governor of Nagaland.

According to the statement, these appointments will become effective on the dates they take over their respective offices.