Jharkhand Guv gets charge of Telangana, Puducherry as Soundararajan quits

Governor of Jharkhand C P Radhakrishnan has been appointed Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry by President Murmu, until regular arrangements are made

The President of India has appointed C P Radhakrishnan, the current Governor of Jharkhand, to discharge the duties of the Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, in addition to his existing responsibilities, until further arrangements are made.

This decision follows the acceptance of the resignation of Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan from the positions of Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, according to a statement released by the President's office.

Soundararajan tendered her resignation on Monday amidst speculations of her candidacy in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu.

Soundararajan had contested the 2019 Parliament elections from Thoothukudi constituency in southern Tamil Nadu on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, however, faced defeat to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (DMK) Kanimozhi.

Expressing gratitude for the additional responsibility, CP Radhakrishnan conveyed his thanks to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Home Minister Amit Shah for entrusting him with this role.

Radhakrishnan wrote, "I am humbled and blessed to be given the additional responsibility to serve as the Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. I thank from the bottom of my heart our beloved, most respected President Droupadi Murmu, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our Home Minister Amit Shah for giving me this great additional responsibility to serve our Motherland."

Radhakrishnan, the 11th Governor of Jharkhand, has a prominent political background in Tamil Nadu's BJP circles. Having been a member of the RSS since the age of 16, he successfully contested two Lok Sabha elections from Coimbatore as a BJP candidate in 1998 and 1999. He later ascended to the position of BJP National Executive member and served as the party's Tamil Nadu president from 2004 to 2007.