Published: 5 March 2026Times of KashmirGovernance
President Murmu Executes Major Governor Reshuffle: 9 States and UTs Get New Governors/Lieutenant Governors
Late on March 5, 2026, President Droupadi Murmu approved the transfer and appointment of Governors and Lieutenant Governors across nine states and Union Territories, in one of the largest gubernatorial reshuffles of her tenure. The key appointments were as follows:
Jishnu Dev Varma (erstwhile Governor of Telangana) was appointed Governor of Maharashtra. Shiv Pratap Shukla (former Governor of Himachal Pradesh) was transferred to Telangana. Kavinder Gupta (former Lt. Governor of Ladakh) was appointed Governor of Himachal Pradesh. Nand Kishore Yadav (former Speaker of Bihar Legislative Assembly) was appointed Governor of Nagaland. Syed Ata Hasnain (former Indian Army Lt. General) was appointed Governor of Bihar. Taranjit Singh Sandhu (former Indian diplomat and Ambassador to the United States) was appointed Lt. Governor of Delhi.
The Governor under Article 153 of the Constitution is the constitutional head of the state, appointed by the President under Article 155. The Governor acts as the agent of the Union Government and plays a crucial role in state administration, including summoning/proroguing/dissolving the state legislature (Article 174), giving assent to Bills (Article 200), and exercising discretionary powers in situations of political uncertainty. Reshuffles of this scale signal a recalibration of Centre-state coordination dynamics.
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Practice MCQ from this story
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How many states and Union Territories were covered in President Murmu's March 2026 Governors/Lieutenant Governors reshuffle?
Explanation · Correct answer BThe March 2026 Rashtrapati Bhavan reshuffle covered nine states and Union Territories, including changes or appointments linked to Delhi, Ladakh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
Frequently asked questions
Under which constitutional articles does the President appoint and remove Governors?
Governors are appointed by the President under Article 155 of the Indian Constitution. They hold office at the pleasure of the President as per Article 156, meaning the President can remove a Governor at any time without assigning a reason.
Who was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Delhi in the March 2026 reshuffle?
Taranjit Singh Sandhu, a former Indian Ambassador to the United States, was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi in the Governor reshuffle ordered by President Droupadi Murmu on March 6, 2026.
Who was appointed as Governor of Maharashtra in the March 2026 reshuffle and what is his background?
Jishnu Dev Varma, the former Chief Minister of Tripura, was appointed as the Governor of Maharashtra. He was among the key appointees in the major reshuffle of Governors across 9 states and Union Territories on March 6, 2026.
How many states and UTs were covered in the March 2026 Governor reshuffle?
The March 6, 2026 Governor reshuffle ordered by President Droupadi Murmu covered 9 states and Union Territories. Key new appointments included the LG of Delhi, and Governors of Maharashtra, Bihar, and Nagaland.
Who was appointed as Governor of Bihar in the 2026 reshuffle and what is his background?
Syed Ata Hasnain, a retired Lieutenant General of the Indian Army, was appointed as the Governor of Bihar in the March 2026 reshuffle. Nand Kishore Yadav was separately appointed as the Governor of Nagaland in the same reshuffle.
