Many states of the country including West Bengal have got new governors. Union territories of Delhi and Ladakh have got new Lieutenant Governors. Important states like Bihar, Maharashtra, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu etc. have been affected by this reshuffle. West Bengal is being discussed the most. The Governor here CV Anand Bose resigned from his post. The reason has not been stated clearly. After resignation he left for Delhi. He remained the Governor of the state for 3.5 years. On the resignation, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, I am shocked and upset.
After the resignation of CV Anand Bose, late on Thursday evening the President appointed Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi as the Governor of West Bengal. At the same time, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has been given the additional charge of the Governor of Tamil Nadu. Now the question is that a Governor can be given additional charge of how many states? How is the Governor appointed? What are the eligibility and constitutional rules?
How is the Governor appointed?
According to Article 153 of the Indian Constitution, there will be a Governor for each state. The process of appointing the Governor is simple and clear. Using the powers given under Article 155 of the Constitution, the President appoints the Governor. They make this appointment with a document bearing their signature and seal. The role of the Central Government in the appointment of the Governor is also fixed. The President appoints that person as Governor whose name is recommended by the Prime Minister and the Union Council of Ministers. This means that the role of the Central Government is most important in the appointment of the Governor. Under normal circumstances, the Governor is appointed for five years. According to Article 156 of the Indian Constitution, the President can remove the Governor whenever he wants.
CV Anand Bose.
What are the conditions and qualifications to become Governor?
The essential qualifications and conditions for the post of Governor are mentioned in Articles 157 and 158 of the Constitution of India. To become Governor one must be a citizen of India. It is mandatory for him to be at least 35 years of age. No person can become Governor who is a member of any House of Parliament or a member of a state legislature party. If any such person is required to be appointed as Governor, his membership will be deemed to have ceased from the date of taking oath.
It is also important that the person appointed to the post of Governor should not be posted on any post of profit. It is not written in the Constitution but there is an accepted tradition that the Governor cannot be appointed in his own state. Many times there has been an informal tradition in the past of consulting the Chief Minister of the concerned state before appointment.
Governor RN Ravi.
A Governor can get additional charge of how many states?
There is a rule in the Indian Constitution that a person will be the Governor of only one state. But in the year 1956, it was changed through the 7th Constitutional Amendment. Now the same person can be appointed the Governor of two or more states. However, there is no clear limit given in the Constitution as to the maximum number of states that a Governor can be given charge of. It completely depends on the discretion of the President and the Central Government. If a person is the Governor of two or more states, the salary and allowances received by him are distributed among those states in such proportion as the President decides.
Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has been given the additional charge of the Governor of Tamil Nadu.
Rules for transfer and removal of Governor
New appointments and transfers are made by the President on the recommendation of the Central Government with the powers given under the Constitution. The President can transfer a Governor from one state to another in the middle of his tenure. It is not mandatory to give any specific reason for this.
The President can relieve the Governor from his post at any time. The Governor himself can leave the post by submitting his resignation letter to the President. Like West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose resigned. Using these powers, the President has transferred many governors on the recommendation of the Central Government. Some new appointments have also been made.
Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla has been sent to Telangana. Telangana Governor Jishnudev Verma will now be the Governor of Maharashtra. Nand Kishore Yadav will be the new Governor of Nagaland, Lieutenant General retired Syed Ata Hussain of Bihar. Aren Ravi, who was the Governor of Tamil Nadu, will be the Governor of West Bengal. Kavinder Gupta, who was the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, has been made the Governor of Himachal Pradesh. Taranjit Singh Sandhu will be the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and VK Saxena posted here will be the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
Powers and functions of the Governor
The Governor plays the same role in the state as the President plays at the Centre. In case of any confusion, the Governor can send his report to the President. All the work of the state government is done in the name of the Governor. He appoints the Chief Minister and other ministers. He calls the session of the state assembly and can dissolve it. Any bill passed by the State Legislature cannot become law without the signature of the Governor. In some special circumstances the Governor has the right to take decisions at his discretion. If the constitutional machinery in the state fails, the Governor can recommend to the President the imposition of President’s rule under Article 356.
The post of Governor is an important link between the Center and the State. While on one hand he is the constitutional head of the state, on the other hand he also acts as the representative of the Central Government.
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