Four new governors appointed

Three days after the removal of four incumbents with a 'different ideology', the Centre on Monday announced the name of their replacements.

Former Intelligence Bureau chief T V Rajeshwar will take charge of the politically important state of Uttar Pradesh and senior Congress leader Nawal Kishore Sharma of the communally sensitive state of Gujarat where the Bharatiya Janata Party is in power.

President A P J Abdul Kalam appointed former Bihar governor A R Kidwai as governor of Haryana and former Nagaland chief minister S C Jamir of Goa.

"The appointments will take effect from the date they assume charge of their respective offices," a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said on Monday evening.

The four posts fell vacant with the sacking of Vishnukant Shastri (UP), Kailashpati Mishra (Gujarat), Babu Parmanand (Haryana) and Kidarnath Sahni (Goa) who had Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-BJP background and were appointed by the previous National Democratic Alliance government.

Rajeshwar, who is in his late 70s, had headed the IB during the days of late Indira Gandhi. His appointment is considered significant in the backdrop of the recent spat between the Congress and Samajwadi Party over the law and order situation and other issues. Rajeshwar had earlier served as governor of Sikkim and West Bengal.

Sharma's entry into Gujarat Raj Bhavan has come at a time when Chief Minister Narendra Modi has become a target of attack from dissidents within the BJP and is in the midst of a furore caused by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's critical comments.

The 79-year-old succeeds Kailashpati Mishra, a veteran RSS worker who had been the BJP's vice-president at the national level.

The appointment of Kidwai as Haryana governor comes a few months ahead of the assembly elections. The state is ruled by the Indian National Lok Dal headed by Om Prakash Chautala.

The 84-year-old replaces Babu Parmanand who had come under controversy after he made an appeal to the people to vote for BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.

Former Nagaland chief minister S C Jamir who had been in the forefront of the fight against militancy in the sensitive Northeastern state and had been on the hit list of insurgents, has been made governor of Goa, which is also ruled by the BJP. He succeeds Kidarnath Sahni, who was Delhi's chief executive councillor over three decades ago.