New Delhi, October 13, 2026: President Droupadi Murmu has announced governor appointments covering six states, moving Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to Tamil Nadu and Om Prakash Mathur to Keralam. The October 12 announcement also names new governors for Odisha, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.
The important qualification is the start date: the appointments take effect when each appointee assumes charge, according to Rashtrapati Bhavan’s official communiqué. The announcement does not mean every handover has already occurred.
The complete appointment list
- Tamil Nadu: Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, currently Governor of Keralam.
- Keralam: Om Prakash Mathur, currently Governor of Sikkim.
- Odisha: Braj Mohan Ram.
- Karnataka: Dr Sudha Yadav.
- Uttarakhand: Dr Dhal Singh Bisen.
- Sikkim: Dushyant Gautam.
These are the names and destinations in the presidential announcement. Keralam is the name used in that release for the state widely known as Kerala.
Appointment, oath and assumption of office
India’s governors are appointed rather than directly elected. Article 155 of the Constitution of India provides for appointment by the President. Article 156 sets out a five-year term from entry into office, subject to the governor holding office during the President’s pleasure. It also allows continuation until a successor enters office.
Article 159 requires the governor to take an oath or affirmation before entering office. The chief justice of the relevant high court, or in the chief justice’s absence its senior-most available judge, administers it. That is why the notification and the actual transition should be read as separate steps.
What changes for state administration?
The appointments change the holders of constitutional offices. They do not themselves replace elected chief ministers or change the composition of state assemblies. The governor’s relationship with the elected government is governed by the Constitution, including its provisions concerning the council of ministers.
The Bihar Lok Bhavan’s official explanation provides a useful guide to these functions, including assent to legislation and the constitutional position of the council of ministers. Particular powers depend on the circumstances and the applicable constitutional provisions; a change of officeholder is not, by itself, evidence of a policy shift.
What to watch next
The next verifiable developments will be the state-wise swearing-in and assumption-of-charge announcements. Readers should use those records to establish when a new governor actually begins the role. The presidential release supplies no single common inauguration date for all six appointments.
The National Desk covers India's politics, governance, security and public-interest news. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
