R N Ravi named West Bengal governor as Prez effects major reshuffle of gubernatorial posts

Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi was on Thursday appointed as the new governor of West Bengal, replacing C V Ananda Bose, who resigned abruptly earlier in the day, a move that has sparked a fresh confrontation between the BJP and its rivals here and in the state. 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. Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retired) was appointed as the new Bihar governor, while Ladakh's Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta has been made the governor of Himachal Pradesh. Hasnain succeeds Arif Mohammed Khan, who took oath as Bihar Governor on January 2 last year. 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. With Ravi moving to West Bengal, the Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said that Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will discharge the functions of the Tamil Nadu governor. As the governor of Tamil Nadu, Ravi, a former deputy national security adviser, was frequently locked in public battles with the M K Stalin-led DMK government in the southern state over different issues. Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu are slated to be held in a couple of months. 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. Jishnu Dev Varma, Governor of Telangana, has been appointed Maharashtra Governor. Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat was given the additional charge of Maharashtra in September last year after C P Radhakrishnan demitted office following his election as the country's vice-president. Veteran BJP leader and former speaker of the Bihar Assembly, Nand Kishore Yadav, has been appointed as Nagaland Governor. Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla has been holding additional charge as the Nagaland Governor. These appointments will take effect from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices, the communique said.