President Droupadi Murmu appointed Governors for six states on October 12, 2026, in a reshuffle announced through an official communiqué issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan. Om Prakash Mathur, who was serving as the Governor of Sikkim, has been appointed as the Governor of Keralam, while Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the outgoing Governor of Keralam, will take over as the Governor of Tamil Nadu.
The other appointments include Braj Mohan Ram as Governor of Odisha, Dr Sudha Yadav as Governor of Karnataka, Dr Dhal Singh Bisen as Governor of Uttarakhand, and Dushyant Gautam as Governor of Sikkim. The changes involve the transfer of two serving Governors and four fresh appointments.
According to the official statement, the appointments will take effect from the dates on which the appointees assume charge of their respective offices. The announcement outlines changes in gubernatorial leadership across six states, although the communiqué does not specify reasons for the reshuffle or announce any further administrative measures.
Six States Get New Governors
The appointments were formally announced by the President’s Secretariat in a press communiqué dated October 12. The changes cover Keralam, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Sikkim, with each state set to have a new Governor once the respective appointee assumes office. The official communiqué stated, “The above appointments will take effect from the dates they will assume charge of their respective offices.” Here is the new list:
- Keralam: Om Prakash Mathur
- Tamil Nadu: Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
- Odisha: Braj Mohan Ram
- Karnataka: Dr Sudha Yadav
- Uttarakhand: Dr Dhal Singh Bisen
- Sikkim: Dushyant Gautam
Om Prakash Mathur, who assumed office as Sikkim Governor in July 2024, will move to Keralam, where he will succeed Arlekar. Mathur is a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader who has served in organisational roles within the party and was a Rajya Sabha member from 2008 to 2022. Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, meanwhile, has been appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu.
A former Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly, Arlekar has also served as Governor of Himachal Pradesh and Bihar before taking charge in Keralam in January 2025. He had also been discharging the functions of Tamil Nadu Governor since March 2026, following the appointment of RN Ravi as Governor of West Bengal. The latest decision formalises his appointment to the Tamil Nadu post.
The remaining four appointments bring new faces to the gubernatorial offices in their respective states. Braj Mohan Ram has been appointed Governor of Odisha, succeeding Hari Babu Kambhampati. Dr Sudha Yadav will take over as Governor of Karnataka, succeeding Thaawarchand Gehlot. Dr Dhal Singh Bisen has been appointed Governor of Uttarakhand, succeeding Lieutenant General (Retired) Gurmit Singh, while Dushyant Gautam will succeed Mathur as Governor of Sikkim.
Yadav is a former Lok Sabha member from Mahendragarh, Haryana, and has served on the National Commission for Backward Classes. Bisen is a former Member of Parliament from Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, while Gautam has held organisational positions within the BJP. The official announcement did not provide detailed profiles of the appointees or outline the reasons behind their selection.
Understanding The Governor’s Role
Governors occupy an important constitutional position within India’s federal system, serving as the constitutional heads of their respective states. They are appointed by the President and perform duties laid down by the Constitution, including appointing a Chief Minister, summoning and proroguing the state legislature, and giving assent to Bills or reserving certain Bills for the President’s consideration, as applicable. Although the Governor generally acts on the aid and advice of the elected state government, the Constitution provides for specific situations in which the office-holder may exercise discretion. Governors can therefore play an important role in the functioning of state institutions and the relationship between state governments and the Union government.
The latest appointments come at a time when the Governor’s office continues to attract public and political attention in several states, particularly over questions concerning legislative procedures, the handling of Bills and the relationship between constitutional authorities and elected governments. Tamil Nadu, in particular, has witnessed disagreements between the Governor’s office and the state government over constitutional and legislative matters in recent years.
Arlekar’s appointment follows his period of handling the functions of the Tamil Nadu Governor alongside his responsibilities in Keralam. However, the October 12 communiqué does not explicitly link the latest reshuffle to these developments. Nor does it offer a detailed explanation for the transfer of Mathur or the appointment of the four other Governors.
The changes should therefore be understood in the context of the formal constitutional appointment process, without attributing motives that have not been officially stated. The next stage will be the assumption of office by the appointees, after which they will begin discharging their respective constitutional responsibilities.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Appointments to constitutional offices are significant because they can influence how democratic institutions function and how citizens perceive the relationship between the Union and state governments. While the Constitution provides for the appointment of Governors by the President, the effectiveness of these offices ultimately depends on their commitment to constitutional principles, impartiality and respect for the democratic mandate. Governors must be able to discharge their responsibilities without allowing political differences to overshadow their constitutional duties.
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