Former Union Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot took oath as the 19th Governor of Karnataka at the Raj Bhavan on Sunday. Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Abhay Sreenivas Oka administered the oath of office and secrecy to Gehlot. Meanwhile, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, his cabinet colleagues, MPs, MLAs, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar and senior officials of the state government were also present on the occasion.
Gehlot, 73, replaced Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, who had held the post of Karnataka Governor since 2014. Former Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Gehlot was appointed as the new Governor of Karnataka on 6 July. He was among the 12 Union Ministers who resigned from their posts in the Council of Ministers ahead of the expansion of the Union Cabinet on 7 July. Since 2019, he was the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha.
Gehlot took over as the Governor of Karnataka at a time when the leadership of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa continues to face challenges within the state unit of the BJP. Apart from this, the eyes of the ruling BJP will now be on preparations for the assembly elections in 2023 and the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Prior to this, he has served as the in-charge of BJP's Karnataka unit between 2006 and 2014, when he was the party's general secretary.
Recently, apart from Gehlot, President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed three new governors. At the same time, Hari Babu Kambhampati has been appointed as the Governor of Mizoram. The present Governor of Mizoram, P.S. Sreedharan Pillai transferred to Goa. Meanwhile, Gujarat BJP leader Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel appointed as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh and Goa Minister Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will take over as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
