Governor reshuffle...

After the Cabinet reshuffle, a reshuffle of governors is on the cards. The states that currently don’t have governors or need replacements are Rajasthan (after the death of Prabha Rau, it is being handled by Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil); Tamil Nadu (the term of its governor Surjeet Singh Barnala has long ended) and Madhya Pradesh (governor Rameshwar Thakur is ill). New governors are due for Goa and Kerala as well. For some time now, Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva has been asking for a transfer to Tamil Nadu. The government also wants to move Karnataka Governor Hansraj Bharadwaj to more salubrious climes. Among hopefuls are former CEC Naveen Chawla, and a host of Congress leaders, including Sontosh Mohan Deb, M L Fotedar, editor of Sandesh magazine Anil Shastri and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister K Rosiah. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister T K A Nair is also likely to be appointed as a governor, possibly before October.