Four new Governors appointed, two transferred

The government on Saturday appointed new Governors in four states, including in politically crucial West Bengal, and transferred the incumbents in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Jagdeep Dhankhar, a BJP leader and senior Supreme Court lawyer, has been appointed to West Bengal Raj Bhavan, whose incumbent is Kesari Nath Tripathi, while Chhattisgarh BJP leader Ramesh Bais has been appointed as Tripura Governor in place of Kaptan Singh Solanki.

Both Tripathi and Solanki are retiring next week.

Dhankar's appointment is considered crucial as West Bengal is witnessing a political battle between the BJP and the TMC.

Phagu Chauhan, a prominent backward community leader in BJP from Uttar Pradesh, will go to Bihar Raj Bhavan in place of Lalji Tandon, another senior BJP leader, who has been transferred to Madhya Pradesh.

Anandiben Patel, former chief minister of Gujarat and current incumbent of Madhya Pradesh Raj Bhavan, has been shifted to Uttar Pradesh.

Former Intelligence Bureau Special Director R N Ravi, who was the Centre's interlocutor for Naga talks, has been appointed as the Governor of Nagaland.

Ravi will be bringing in his experience as the Naga interlocutor to the Raj Bhavan and is expected to further play a crucial role in taking forward the Naga peace process.

Earlier this week, government had appointed Kalraj Mishra as Governor of Himachal Pradesh after transfering Acharya Devvrat to Gujarat. It also appointed Anusuiya Uikey and Biswa Bhusan Harichandan as Governors of Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh respectively.

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala (80) is also retiring in August and it is to be seen whether the Modi government gives him a fresh tenure.

Jagdeep Dhankar (West Bengal)

Replaces Keshari Nath Tripathi, who is retiring. A former Union Minister and former MLA from Rajasthan, he is also a senior lawyer in Supreme Court. He had joined the BJP in 2003 after his stints in the Janata Dal and the Congress. He is also a member of ICC International Court of Arbitration.

Ramesh Bais (Tripura)

Replaces Kaptan Singh Solanki, who is retiring. A prominent Chhattisgarh leader, he is a seven-term MP from Raipur and a Union Minister in the A B Vajpayee government. He was denied ticket this time as BJP decided to field new faces.

Phagu Chauhan (Bihar)

Replaces Lalji Tandon, who is transferred to Madhya Pradesh. A prominent backward community leader of the BJP, he is a sitting MLA in Uttar Pradesh and had his stint in the BSP, the Janata Dal and the Dalit Mazdoor Kishan Party. A businessman by profession, he has influence on backward communities in Mau-Azamgarh area.

R N Ravi (Nagaland)

Till now, the Centre's chief interlocutor for Nagaland, he has been given a bigger role.The former Intelligence Bureau Special Director had worked closely with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and also worked on the treaty with NSCN-IM to reach an agreement with the government.

Anandiben Patel (Uttar Pradesh)

Transferred from Madhya Pradesh. A close associate of Narendra Modi, she succeeded Modi as Gujarat's chief minister after he became the prime minister. In 2017, she left chief ministership and was later appointed Madhya Pradesh Governor. She also held additional charge of Chhattisgarh.

Lalji Tandon (Madhya Pradesh)

A prominent UP BJP leader, he was transferred from Bihar. A protege of A B Vajpayee, he had ministerial stints in Kalyan Singh government as well as the BSP-BJP coalition government under Mayawati.