Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], October 13 (ANI): Outgoing Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Tuesday took an early morning Vande Bharat train to Palakkad, continuing with his official duties hours after the announcement of his appointment as the Governor of Tamil Nadu, sources said.
Arlekar boarded the 4 am Vande Bharat train from Thiruvananthapuram, despite the announcement of his new assignment, to attend his previously scheduled engagements in Palakkad, as per sources.
President Droupadi Murmu on Monday announced the appointment and transfer of Governors across six states, with Sikkim Governor Om Prakash Mathur appointed as the Governor of Keralam and Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar transferred to Tamil Nadu, according to a communique issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan.
As part of the reshuffle, Braj Mohan Ram has been appointed as the Governor of Odisha, Sudha Yadav as the Governor of Karnataka, Dhal Singh Bisen as the Governor of Uttarakhand, and Dushyant Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim.
The appointments will take effect from the dates the appointees assume charge of their respective offices, the communique stated.
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar served as the Governor of Keralam, having taken the oath of office on January 2, 2025. The ceremony was administered by the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, Nitin Madhukar Jamdar, at the Raj Bhavan.
The event saw the attendance of several dignitaries, including former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, members of the council of ministers, opposition leaders, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, and West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose. He was appointed to this post by President Droupadi Murmu on December 21, 2024.
Prior to his tenure in Kerala, Arlekar served as the Governor of Bihar.
His journey into constitutional offices began on July 6, 2021, when he was appointed as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh. He took the oath of office at the Raj Bhavan in Shimla on July 13, 2021, marking a historic moment as he became the first person from Goa to serve as the Governor of a state.
Before his transition into gubernatorial roles, Arlekar had a long and active political career in Goa. He served as a two-time member of the Goa Legislative Assembly, following which, he also held the position of Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly. He has also been the President of BJP’s Goa unit, having started his journey in public life as a dedicated party worker. (ANI)
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