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New governors for Nagaland, Ch'tisgarh
The new governors of Nagaland and Chhattisgarh are Narasimhan and Shankaranarayanan respectively, reports Aloke Tikku.
A former intelligence chief and an old Congress hand in Kerala politics have been appointed governors of Chhattisgarh and Nagaland.
ESL Narasimhan who completed his term as Intelligence Bureau director last month has been appointed Governor of Chhattisgarh that has been in the news through last year due to an increase in Naxal violence. There was speculation earlier that Narasimhan would be appointed to the gubernatorial post in Nagaland. The former IB chief, however, was not understood to be keen.
K Sankaranarayan, former Kerala finance minister, will move into the Raj Bhavan in Nagaland that has seen truce between insurgent group, NSCN (IM) and security forces last for nearly a decade. Sankaranarayan would take over from the incumbent, Shyamal Dutta, a retired police officer at the expiry of his term on 27 January.
Narasimhan's appointment will take effect from the date he assumes charge of his office, a Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué said. MM Jacob, Meghalaya Governor, will hold additional charge as Arunachal Pradesh Governor during the absence, on leave, of Shilendra Kumar Singh.
Sankaranarayan, who hails from the leftist hotbed of Palakkad district, has served as minister in state governments headed by K Karunakaran in 1977 and AK Antony in 2001. A former convenor of the Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala, the 74-year-old politician was widely expected in the state to be appointed to a gubernatorial office nearly a year ago.
"I am accepting the new responsibility happily", a PTI report from Thiruvananthapuram quoted him saying after the formal announcement from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The other states that need governors are Andhra Pradesh, where the post has been vacant since Sushil Kumar Shinde became a minister in the Manmohan Singh cabinet, and Karnataka, where TN Chaturvedi is due to retire. Tamil Nadu Governor SS Barnala holds additional charge of Andhra Pradesh.
Email Aloke Tikku: atikku@hindustantimes.com
