New Delhi: In a major reshuffle, President Ram Nath Kovind today appointed new Governors for five States based on the recommendations of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. Surprisingly, Tamilnadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan has been named the Governor of Telangana.
According to a statement issued by President Ram Nath Kovind’s office, BJP veteran Kalraj Mishra has now been transferred from Himachal Pradesh to Rajasthan, where he replaces Kalyan Singh as the new Governor. Bandaru Dattatreya replaces Kalraj Mishra in Himachal Pradesh.
Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the senior BJP leader from Uttarakhand, has been appointed the new Governor of Maharashtra shunting out Vidyasagar Rao.
In Kerala, Arif Mohammed Khan, who is known for his relentless crusade against triple talaq, replaced P Sathasivam as the new Governor.
TAMILISAI: FROM TN TO TELANGANA
Tamilisai will be the first woman Governor of Telangana. She will succeed ESL Narasimhan, the first common Governor for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh after the States bifurcation in 2014. He had been serving as the Governor of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh since 2009.
In July this year, he became the Governor of Telangana after Biswa Bhusan Harichandan took charge as the Governor for AP. Tamilisai, who had been serving as president of State unit of the BJP since 2014, held various posts in the party beginning from the South Chennai District Medical Wing Secretary in 1999. She recently contested the Lok Sabha elections from Tuticorin where she lost to DMK candidate Kanimozhi. Daughter of Congress leader Kumari Anandhan, she is a doctor by profession.
WHO WILL BE NEXT BJP CHIEF HERE?
With Tamilisai being appointed Telangana Governor, all eyes are on who would be next president of the State unit of the party. Questions have started to do rounds as to who will succeed her here. Several names have started to do rounds here.
Speaking to News Today, a senior BJP leader said, “We need a dynamic leader who has a direct connect with people. He/she has to make sure that our principles and policies reach those in grass-root levels. Hopefully the new leader will be named in a couple of weeks.”