The Narendra Modi Government on Monday appointed five BJP veterans in the Raj Bhavans of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal.
The Government named former Petroleum Minister Ram Naik as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh replacing Bl Joshi, while Keshari Nath Tripathi has replaced MK Narayanan in West Bengal. Balramji Dass Tandon will go to Chhattisgarh in place of Shekhar Dutt, Om Prakash Kohli will replace Kamla Beniwal in Gujarat, and Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya will be Nagaland’s new Governor replacing Ashwini Kumar.
In addition to Nagaland, Acharya will also handle additional charge of Tripura till the time a regular Governor is announced for the State. The Government has for the time being put senior Delhi leader VK Malhotra’s name on hold. According to sources close to Malhotra, the veteran leader was offered West Bengal but the Delhi politician preferred a State closer to the national capital to a far-off State. He could be accommodated in the Raj Bhavan of Rajasthan or Haryana where the tenure of incumbents is ending shortly.
At least five more appointments will be made soon after Margaret Alva (Rajasthan), HR Bhardwaj (Karnataka), Jagannath Pahadia (Haryana), SC Jamir (Odisha), Kamla Beniwal (Mizoram) end their five-year tenure. A name for Goa and Tripura too is expected soon. Goa Raj Bhavan fell vacant after the resignation of former SPG chief BV Wanchoo from the gubernatorial post, while the tenure of Devanand Konwar in Tripura has ended.
BJP sources said elevating veterans to gubernatorial positions is part of efforts to rejuvenate the party. All these leaders have served the BJP for long and party sources said the veterans have been rewarded for their contribution to the organisation. Kohli, Naik and Tandon are also known for their close association with the RSS. Sources said the move also indicates the new generational change in the BJP where the seniors are accommodated for different roles while the younger lot is given work in Government and party functioning. Incidentally, all the new Governors are in the Club of 80 plus. Maharashtra leader Naik, 80, besides being Petroleum and Natural Gas minister in NDA Government in 2004 has also been a strong campaigner for the rights of leprosy-affected persons (lAP). Naik had petitioned a Rajya Sabha committee seeking change in discriminatory clauses in various laws against lAP. Naik had announced his retirement from active politics last year and did not contest the 2014 elections. Reacting to the news, Naik described his appointment as new UP Governor as a turning point in his political life. “I will work as a bridge between the state and Central governments,” said Naik, who is associated with the BJP since the Jan Sangh times in 1969.
A former Rajya Sabha member and a Delhi University Hindi teacher in Deshbandhu College, 78-year-old Kohli was the Delhi BJP’s head in 2009. 87-year-old Tandon has been the founder member of Jan Sangh in 1951 and has served as secretary of Punjab Jan Sangh for six year besides being the president of the Punjab BJP between 1995 and 1997. Tandon was the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab in 1969 and later served as a Cabinet Minister in the Prakash Singh Badal Government. last year he was made the president of election committee of Punjab.
P Acharya was a member of BJP’s working group on North-eastern States and co-convener of Overseas Friends of BJP. lawyer turned politician Tripathi, 79, is a five-time MlA and former Uttar Pradesh Speaker and minister.