New Delhi:
In a major reshuffle, President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday announced appointments of new governors for five states across the country. Former Cabinet minister Arif Mohammad Khan has replaced P Sathasivam as the Kerala Governor while Tamilisai Soundararajan, a doctor by profession, has been made the new Governor of Telangana. Soundararajan replaced ESL Narasimhan in the South Indian state.
Kalraj Mishra, who was serving as the Governor in Himachal Pradesh, has been transferred to Rajasthan, where he replaced his predecessor Kalyan Singh. Former Lok Sabha member Bandaru Dattatreya, on the other hand, replaced Mishra in Himachal.
Bhagat Singh Koshyari, a RSS veteran, has been picked for the post of Maharashtra Governor, shunting out Vidyasagar Rao. On his appointment as the new Maharashtra Governor, Koshyari is congratulated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
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Asked about his appointment as Kerala Governor, Arif Khan told reporters, "It's an opportunity to serve. Fortunate to be born in a country like India which is so vast and rich in diversity. It's a great opportunity for me to know this part of India, which forms boundary of India and is called god's own country".
Elated on being appointed Telangana Governor, Soundararajan remembered her father, a Congress veteran, saying that today he would be happy about her decision to fulfill the dream of joining Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"...I chose BJP despite growing up as daughter of a Congress leader...Biggest challenge in my life was to stay determined about my decision to join BJP and make a mark for myself without any hurdles," Soundararajan told reporters in Chennai. "I would be quitting as the state party president with that happiness," she said, vowing to focus on development of Telangana.
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Thanking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Dattatreya, the new Himachal Pradesh Governor said, "They have given this responsibility to me as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh and I will work as per the Constitution".
The Rashtrapati Bhavan has issued a statement in regard to these new appointments on Sunday noon, adding that it will come into effect from the dates the new governors take charge of their respective offices.
