BS Koshyari, RSS veteran and a former Chief Minister and MP, was appointed Governor in 2019
Maharashtra was among 12 states to get a new Governor as President Droupadi Murmu made a series of crucial Constitutional appointments this morning. The President appointed six new faces and reshuffled seven Governors.
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Two prominent entries were former Supreme Court Judge Justice S Abdul Nazeer (Andhra Pradesh) and senior BJP leader Gulab Chand Kataria in Assam. Justice Nazeer was part of the five-member Constitution bench that delivered the unanimous judgment in the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi case in 2019.
The big exit is that of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who will be replaced by former Jharkhand governor Ramesh Bais. Mr Koshyari's exit has been welcomed by Opposition leaders, who accused him of hurting Marathi sentiment with his controversial remarks on icons. Mr Koshyari, 80, had told Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month that he wished to step down from the post.
Seven Governors have been reshuffled, which includes the poll-bound northeastern states of Meghalaya and Nagaland. Manipur governor La Ganesan is now in charge of Nagaland. Bihar governor Phagu Chauhan is Governor of Meghalaya.
An RSS veteran who has served as a Chief Minister and an MP in both Houses of Parliament, Mr Koshyari was appointed Governor in 2019. During his term, he frequently hit headlines over multiple run-ins with the Uddhav Thackeray government and his controversial statements.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led government and the Raj Bhavan clashed on several issues, including the reopening of temples after the Covid pandemic, refusal of a state plane for Mr Koshyari's visit to Dehradun and a special Assembly session following the rape and murder of a woman in Mumbai's Sakinaka.
Mr Koshyari sparked a row in November last year when he said Chhattrapati Shivaji was "an icon of the old days". Top BJP leaders had to jump into the firefight as the political opposition accused the Governor of insulting the Maratha leader. Prior to that, he courted controversy when he said Maharashtra will have no money left if Gujaratis and Rajasthanis leave.
Aaditya Thackeray, former minister and a leader of the Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, welcomed the appointment of the new Governor, calling it a "big win for Maharashtra". Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party also welcomed Mr Koshyari's exit.
The other new faces appointed by the President are Lieutenant General Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik (Retired) as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh; Lakshman Prasad Acharya as the Governor of Sikkim; CP Radhakrishnan as the Governor of Jharkhand; Shiv Pratap Shukla as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan has been moved to Chhattisgarh, replacing Sushri Anusuiya Uikye, who has been shifted to Manipur. Himachal Pradesh governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar takes over in Bihar. Arunachal Pradesh governor Brigadier B D Mishra (Retd) has been appointed as the L-G of Ladakh, which is facing growing demand for statehood and special status.
A sitting MLA with strong RSS connections, Gulab Chand Kataria was a key contender for the Chief Minister's post in the run-up to this year's Rajasthan polls. His appointment could be seen as a well-thought-out move to remove him from the big race.
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