WB BJP ex-chief Ashim Kumar Ghosh is Haryana Governor, TDP’s P Ashok Gajapathi Raju gets charge of Goa

Bowing to coalition pressure, the Centre on Monday accommodated key ally Telugu Desam Party by appointing its senior leader and former Union Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju as the Goa Governor. This is the first time in the 11-year tenure of the BJP-led NDA regime that someone from outside the saffron party has been appointed to the gubernatorial post.

Former West Bengal BJP president and academic Ashim Kumar Ghosh was appointed the Haryana Governor. Veteran RSS leader and former J&K Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta was made the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh.

Gupta’s appointment came as President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of BD Mishra as the Ladakh Lieutenant Governor, according to a statement issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan.

First non-BJP leader gets post in 11 years

* In TDP leader Gajapathi Raju’s appointment, the BJP has given in to coalition pressure

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* It’s the first time in 11 years the BJP govt has appointed a non-BJP leader as Governor

* Short of majority, the TDP and JD(U) are BJP’s crucial allies

Gupta was sworn in as the J&K Deputy Chief Minister under the former Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition government. He resigned after 51 days when the BJP withdrew from the alliance on June 19, 2018. He was elected the Jammu Mayor for three consecutive terms between 2005 and 2010, a record in the city.

Ghosh will succeed Bandaru Dattatraya, who had assumed charge as the Haryana Governor on July 15, 2021. The West Bengal leader has a bachelor's degree in political science from Vidyasagar College in Kolkata. He later served as a professor of political science for many years.

He joined the BJP in 1991 and rose to prominence within the party, serving as the West Bengal BJP president from 1999 to 2002. During his tenure, he played a key role in expanding the party’s grassroots presence in the state. He was also appointed a BJP observer for Tripura from 2003 to 2005, contributing to the party’s organisational growth in the state.

Raju was born into the royal Pusapati family of Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh. A seven-term MLA and an MP, he has held office at both the state and national levels.

After winning the Vizianagaram Lok Sabha seat in 2014, Raju served as the Union Minister of Civil Aviation for nearly four years in the first Narendra Modi cabinet. He eventually resigned over a dispute regarding Andhra Pradesh’s special status.

As Civil Aviation Minister, Raju championed the UDAN regional connectivity scheme, initiated numerous airport projects (including Rajamahendravaram and Kadapa), and established a no-fly list for disruptive passengers.

The BJP-led central government, in its third term, is dependent on the support of the TDP and the JD(U) after it won only 240 seats on its own in the 2024 General Election, falling short of the majority mark by 32 seats. The TDP has 16 MPs and the JD(U) 12. Both are lending crucial support to the BJP, apart from smaller allies such as the JD(S), LJP and the HAM.