Bais takes charge as 20th governor of Maharashtra

Mumbai: Ramesh Bais assumed charge as the new governor of Maharashtra after taking oath of office on Saturday

Mumbai: Ramesh Bais assumed charge as the new governor of Maharashtra after taking oath of office on Saturday. He is the 20th governor of the state since the formation of Maharashtra in 1960. Prior to this, he held charge as the governor of Jharkhand.

Mumbai, India - Feb. 18, 2023: Newly appointed Governor of Maharashtra Ramesh Bais interacts with CM Eknath Shinde after the oath taking ceremony, at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, India, on Saturday, February 18, 2023. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Seventy-five–year-old Bais took his oath in Marathi. Acting chief justice of the Bombay high court Sanjay Gangapurwala administered him the oath of office at Darbar Hall, Raj Bhavan. The swearing-in ceremony began and concluded with the national anthem played by the ceremonial police band. After this, a guard of honour was presented to the governor by the Indian Navy.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde, along with other dignitaries, were present for the swearing-in ceremony. However, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was not at the ceremony. He is attending several programmes, along with union home minister Amit Shah in Nagpur and Pune, said an official from deputy chief minister office. Shah is on a three-day visit to the state.

After assuming charge as the governor, Bais visited Siddhivinayak temple and Mahalaxmi temple along with his wife Rambai and other family members.

Koshyari left the state on Friday. His three-and-a-half-year tenure was full of controversies. Bais’s 20 months as Jharkhand governor will also be remembered for political showdowns.

Chief minister Hemant Soren and the ruling coalition in the state accused him of destabilising the democratically elected government and of creating an atmosphere of political uncertainty. Last month, Bais sent the ‘1932 Khatiyan Bill’ back to the Soren government for reconsideration, describing it to be violative of Article 16 of the Constitution and court rulings.

In November last year, he returned to the state government, the Jharkhand Excise (amendment) Bill, 2022, with a slew of suggestions and directions to make changes.

Bais handled several responsibilities in his five-decade long political career. He was first elected as a corporator in Raipur Municipal Corporation in 1978. After two years, he was elected as an MLA from Mandir Hasod. In 1989, he successfully contested the Lok Sabha polls and continued to work as a parliamentarian till 2019.

He is a former BJP leader from Chhattisgarh and was also a union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Bais was appointed as Tripura governor on July 29, 2019. On July 14, 2021, he was transferred to Jharkhand as its governor.