President Murmu appoints new Governors for Keralam, Karnataka, Odisha, Sikkim and Uttarakhand

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday, 12 October 2026, appointed Governors for six states, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique reported by The Hindu and The Indian Express.

The appointments

• Tamil Nadu: Rajendra Arlekar, who had held additional charge of Tamil Nadu alongside Keralam, becomes full-time Governor of Tamil Nadu.
• Keralam: O.P. Mathur, until now Governor of Sikkim, is appointed Governor of Keralam in place of Mr Arlekar.
• Karnataka: Sudha Yadav is appointed Governor, replacing Thawarchand Gahlot, according to The Hindu.
• Odisha: Braj Mohan Ram (spelt “Brij Mohan Ram” by The Hindu) is appointed Governor.
• Uttarakhand: Dhal Singh Bisen is appointed Governor.
• Sikkim: Dushyant Gautam is appointed Governor.

Background of the appointees

According to The Hindu, Ms Yadav is a former Lok Sabha member from Mahendragarh, Haryana (1999–2004), and was a member of the BJP’s Parliamentary Board from August 2022 until the new team under party president Nitin Nabin took charge. Mr Ram was a Lok Sabha member for Palamau, Jharkhand, between 1996 and 2004. Mr Bisen is a former MP from Madhya Pradesh and has served as a minister in the state government. Mr Gautam is a former Rajya Sabha member and served as BJP general secretary under J.P. Nadda’s presidency. The Hindu reports that Mr Bisen succeeds Lt. Gen. (retd) Gurmeet Singh, whose five-year term in Uttarakhand ended in September.

The Hindu reported that Mr Arlekar had held both Tamil Nadu and Keralam for some time and oversaw the swearing-in of new governments in both states after elections earlier this year.

How Governors are appointed

Under Article 155 of the Constitution, the Governor of a state is appointed by the President by warrant under her hand and seal. Under Article 156, a Governor holds office during the President’s pleasure, and the usual term is five years, though a Governor continues until a successor takes office.

What happens next

The communique said each Governor’s term takes effect from the date of taking charge, which it did not specify. Each will take an oath of office before the Chief Justice of the state’s High Court, as Article 159 provides, once they assume office.