Six States Get New Governors: Full List of Appointments by President Murmu
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President Droupadi Murmu appointed Governors for six states on 12 October 2026, transferring two incumbents and naming four new appointees.
What Happened
President Droupadi Murmu appointed new Governors to six states on Monday, 12 October 2026. The states are Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. A communique from the President's office at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi announced the list. It includes two transfers of serving Governors and four fresh appointments.
Key Facts
- Om Prakash Mathur, who was Governor of Sikkim, has been appointed Governor of Kerala. The state is also written as Kerala in several reports.
- Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who was Governor of Kerala, has been appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu. He and Mathur are the two transfers in the list.
- Braj Mohan Ram has been appointed Governor of Odisha, and Dr Sudha Yadav has been appointed Governor of Karnataka.
- Dr Dhal Singh Bisen has been appointed Governor of Uttarakhand. Dushyant Gautam has been appointed Governor of Sikkim, taking over the post from Mathur.
- The communique said each appointment takes effect from the date the appointee assumes charge of the office. It did not give separate dates for swearing-in ceremonies.
- Arlekar was named Governor of Kerala on 24 December 2024, when he was Governor of Bihar. He succeeded Arif Mohammed Khan, who moved to Bihar.
- Under Article 155 of the Constitution, the President appoints the Governor of a state. Governors hold office during the pleasure of the President and are normally appointed for five years.
- A Governor takes the oath of office before the Chief Justice of the state's High Court, so oath dates will depend on arrangements in each state.
Why It Matters
The Governor is the constitutional head of a state. The office gives assent to bills passed by the legislature and appoints the Chief Minister. The Governor is also usually the chancellor of state universities. These functions make the post important for the relationship between the Union and the states.
In practice, the Union government's Council of Ministers advises on the choice. Governors can be transferred to another state, as Mathur and Arlekar have now been.
Some appointees come from active political backgrounds. Reports describe Sudha Yadav as a former Member of Parliament and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary board. Dushyant Gautam is described as a former national general secretary of the BJP. The communique itself lists only names and designations.
Arlekar's move follows a short stint in Kerala. Tamil Nadu will be the third Raj Bhavan he has headed in under two years. Mathur was named Governor of Sikkim in an earlier round that also included Haribahau Bagde for Rajasthan, Santosh Gangwar for Jharkhand and C.H. Vijayashankar for Meghalaya.
The reshuffle fits a pattern in which the Centre periodically rearranges Governor postings. On 24 December 2024, five Governors were appointed, moving leaders across Odisha, Mizoram, Kerala, Bihar and Manipur. Each round is announced through a short communique.
Impact
Short-term: Once the new appointees take charge, Raj Bhavan leadership changes in all six states. Outgoing Governors will hand over charge and incoming ones will take the oath. Sikkim, Kerala and Tamil Nadu see a chain of changes. Odisha, Karnataka and Uttarakhand each receive a new Governor from outside the transfers. Until the handover, existing Governors continue to hold office.
Long-term: The Governor's office is not elected, but it carries duties such as summoning and proroguing the state legislature. The new Governors will perform these duties in states with different political equations. Their working relationship with the state governments will be watched in the coming months, as it has been in earlier appointment rounds, especially in states governed by parties other than the one at the Centre.
Who is affected: Mathur moves from a small north-eastern state to Kerala, a much larger state with a different political setting. Rashtrapati Bhavan has not announced dates for taking charge, and Raj Bhavans are expected to announce oath ceremonies.
Key Takeaway
On 12 October 2026 President Murmu named Governors for Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Sikkim, and each appointment takes effect only when the appointee assumes charge.
Questions and Answers
Which states got new Governors on 12 October 2026?
President Droupadi Murmu appointed Governors for Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Sikkim on 12 October 2026. The list has two transfers and four fresh appointments.
Who is the new Governor of Kerala?
Om Prakash Mathur, earlier Governor of Sikkim, has been appointed Governor of Kerala. He replaces Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who has been appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu.
Who are the four new Governors appointed?
Braj Mohan Ram is Governor of Odisha, Dr Sudha Yadav of Karnataka, Dr Dhal Singh Bisen of Uttarakhand and Dushyant Gautam of Sikkim, where he takes over from Mathur.
When will the new Governors take charge?
Each appointment takes effect when the appointee assumes charge. The communique gave no separate swearing-in dates, and the oath is taken before the Chief Justice of the state's High Court.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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