Who is Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the new Governor of Kerala?
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has been appointed as the new Governor of Kerala, succeeding Arif Mohammad Khan. A seasoned BJP leader with a rich political career, Arlekar has previously served as Governor of Himachal Pradesh and Bihar and held various key roles in Goa.
FollowNew Delhi: In a major reshuffle, President Droupadi Murmu appointed two new governors on Tuesday (Dec 24) and reassigned three others, altering the leadership in five states.
The President appointed Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar as the new Governor of Kerala, succeeding Arif Mohammed Khan. Khan will now take on the role of Governor of Bihar, which is set to hold Assembly elections next year. Notably, Khan had been engaged in a prolonged public dispute with the Pinarayi Vijayan-led state government.
The following are the new Governors appointed by the President:
1. Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati, Governor of Mizoram was appointed as Governor of Odisha.Â
2. General (Dr) Vijay Kumar Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd.) has been appointed as Governor of Mizoram.Â
3. Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Governor of Bihar appointed as Governor of Kerala.Â
4. Arif Mohammed Khan, Governor of Kerala appointed as Governor of Bihar.Â
5. Ajay Kumar Bhalla was appointed as Governor of Manipur.Â
Who is Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the new Governor of Kerala?
Rajendra Arlekar will now serve as the 23rd Governor of Kerala. He previously served as the 29th Governor of Bihar and the 21st Governor of Himachal Pradesh, becoming the first person from Goa to hold the position in Himachal Pradesh. He has also been a Cabinet Minister in the Goa government and a former Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly. He is a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Arlekar has been closely connected with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since his early years. He became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1989 and has been actively involved in the Goa BJP since the 1980s. Over the years, he has taken on several roles, including General Secretary of the BJP's Goa unit, Chairman of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation, and Chairman of the Goa State Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes Financial Development Corporation. Additionally, he has served as South Goa President for the BJP.
When Manohar Parrikar transitioned to the role of Union Defence Minister in 2014, Arlekar was among the contenders for the position of Chief Minister of Goa. However, the party ultimately selected Laxmikant Parsekar for the role.
Arlekar is recognized for initiating the move to make the Goa Legislative Assembly paperless, making it the first state assembly in India to achieve this milestone.
In 2015, during a cabinet reshuffle, he was appointed as the Minister for Environment and Forests.
On July 6, 2021, Arlekar was appointed as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, succeeding Bandaru Dattatreya, who was reassigned as the Governor of Haryana. Expressing his gratitude to the party, Arlekar remarked that the BJP values and acknowledges the contributions of every member.
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