Former Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the new Governor of Manipur. The appointment at the Manipur Raj Bhavan is significant as the state has witnessed ethnic conflict between the Meitei community and the Kuki tribes since May 2023. File | Photo credit: PTI
Former Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla was appointed as the new Governor of Manipur in five states on Tuesday (December 24, 2024) by President Draupadi Murmu in the latest gubernatorial appointment and reshuffle.
Another key appointment is former Union Minister General VK Singh (retd) as the new Governor of Mizoram while Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has been shifted to Bihar.
The President also accepted the resignation of Odisha Governor Raghubar Das
The appointment at the Manipur Raj Bhavan is significant as the state has witnessed ethnic conflict between the Meitei community and the Kuki tribes since May 2023. Anusuiya Uike was the last full-time Governor of the state and the Governor of Assam from July 2024 was Lakshman Prasad Acharya. Keeping extra charge.
Another politically significant move is the reshuffle of governors in Kerala. Mr. Khan had been regularly contesting the Left Front government in the state. However, he has been transferred to Bihar, while the current Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has been named as the new Governor of Kerala.
The current Governor of Mizoram Dr. Hari Babu Kambampati has been appointed as the Governor of Odisha while General Singh has been appointed as the new Governor of North Eastern States.
Former Indian Army chief General Singh successfully contested the Lok Sabha elections twice (2014 and 2019) on a BJP ticket from the Ghaziabad seat in Uttar Pradesh and was a member of the Union Cabinet. However, the party did not give him a ticket for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Mr. Bhalla is one of the two longest serving Union Home Secretaries having held the post for more than five years. Said to be close to Home Minister Amit Shah, Mr. Bhalla spearheaded some major legislation during his tenure as Home Secretary, such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and three new criminal laws.
A 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, he retired on August 22, 2024. Mr. Bhalla has first-hand knowledge of the current security situation in Manipur as he was in office when communal violence erupted. Stated on May 3, 2023. In Manipur, the post of Governor was given as an additional charge. Governor of Assam after Ms. Uike was removed from office on July 28, 2024. The violence in the state has claimed more than 250 lives so far.
published – Dec 24, 2024 at 10:02 am IST