Governors for 3 states likely before R-Day

The government is likely to appoint some governors in the next few days in states like West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab.

The appointments are expected to be made before January 26 so that the governors are in place to take the salute in the the Republic Day parades in these state capitals, reliable sources said today.

There has been speculation that National Security Advisor M K Narayanan may be appointed as a governor. Other names doing the rounds include former Home Minister Shivraj Patil, former HRD minister Arjun Singh, Congress leaders Mohsina Kidwai and former Heavy Industries Minister Santosh Mohan Dev, they said.

The post of governor is laying vacant in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Bihar governor Devananda Konwar, Chhattisgarh governor ESL Narsimhan and Himachal Pradesh Governor Prabha Rau are holding additional charge of the Rajbhavans in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Jaipur respectively.

In Punjab, the tenure of S F Rodrigues ended on November 16, 2009. In Madhya Pradesh, the tenure of Rameshwar Thakur ended on November 17 while the Maharashtra governor SC Jamir completed his term on July 16 last year. All the three are still continuing in their offices as their successors are yet to be announced.