President Murmu Announces Major Governor Reshuffle Across 9 States and UTs; R N Ravi Moved to West Bengal, Hasnain Named Bihar Governor

President Droupadi Murmu on March 6, 2026 approved a major reshuffle of Governors and Lieutenant Governors affecting nine States and Union Territories, in one of the largest gubernatorial reorganisations of her tenure. Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, a former Deputy National Security Adviser, was appointed Governor of West Bengal, replacing Dr C V Ananda Bose, whose resignation was accepted earlier the same day. Lieutenant General (Retired) Syed Ata Hasnain was named Governor of Bihar, succeeding Arif Mohammed Khan. Nand Kishore Yadav, former Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, was appointed Governor of Nagaland. Jishnu Dev Varma, earlier Governor of Telangana, was moved to Maharashtra, while Shiv Pratap Shukla, the outgoing Governor of Himachal Pradesh, was sent to Telangana. Kavinder Gupta, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, was appointed Governor of Himachal Pradesh. Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was given additional charge to discharge the functions of the Governor of Tamil Nadu. In the Union Territories, Vinai Kumar Saxena, till then Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, while former diplomat and ex-Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu was named the new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. The reshuffle, coming ahead of the Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, drew immediate political reactions, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stating she had not been consulted about Ravi appointment, contrary to established convention. Under Articles 155 and 156 of the Constitution, the President appoints Governors who hold office during his or her pleasure.