New Delhi: The Centre is contemplating to fill vacancies of Governors in nine states, five of them ruled by Congress, soon as one Governor is holding the charge of four states while five others are in-charge of at least two states each.
“Since some Governors are holding additional charges of two-three states, new appointments are expected soon,” official sources said.
Names of a few BJP veterans are under consideration of the government and decisions in this regard will be taken after the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 18, the sources said.
There are vacancies in Raj Bhavans in Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur, all ruled by Congress, while opposition parties JD-U, Left and TRS are in power in Bihar, Tripura and Telangana, respectively.
There is also vacancy in Punjab, ruled by the Akali Dal-BJP combine. The post of Lieutenant Governor in Puducherry is also lying vacant.
West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi is holding the additional charge of Bihar, Meghalaya and Mizoram while Nagaland Governor Padmanabha Acharya is in-charge of the Raj Bhavans in Assamand Tripura.
Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki has been given the additional charge of Punjab Governor and administrator of Chandigarh, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh is holding the additional charge of Himachal Pradesh. Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul is in-charge of the Raj Bhavan of Manipur too.
E S L Narasimhan, who was the Governor of undivided Andhra Pradesh, continues to be the Governor of both Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh after the bifurcation while Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lt. General (retd) Ajay Kumar Singh is holding the additional charge of the LG of Puducherry.
The Modi government, which assumed charge in May 2014, has so far appointed Governors to 11 states. They are Ram Naik (Uttar Pradesh), C Vidyasagar Rao (Maharashtra), P Sathasivam (Kerala), Vajubhai Vala (Karnataka), Om Prakash Kohli (Gujarat), Balram Das Tandon (Chhattisgarh), Mridula Sinha (Goa), Kalyan Singh (Rajasthan), Keshari Nath Tripathi (West Bengal), Kaptan Singh Solanki (Haryana) and Padmanabha Acharya (Nagaland).