New Delhi: Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot has been appointed as Karnataka Governor and Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel was named as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué. 

This is a major reshuffle of Governors carried out today by the Narendra Modi Government amid a buzz around an expected reshuffle of Cabinet. Eight States have got new Governors now. 

Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, is a prominent Dalit leader. He served as the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment in the Modi Government. Besides, he also served as the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. He is a member of the Parliamentary Board and the Central Election Committee of the BJP.

The present Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudhabhai Vala’s five-year term ended on Sept. 1, 2019 and was given an extension by the Centre. But as Vala is facing health issues, the Centre was mulling on appointing a new Governor to  the State.

President Ram Nath Kovind has approved today’s appointments. Hari Babu Kambhampati and Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar have been appointed as Governors of Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh respectively. Kambhampati succeeds P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, who has been transferred and appointed as Governor of Goa, the communiqué said.

Arlekar replaces Bandaru Dattatraya who has been transferred and appointed as Haryana Governor. Satyadev Narayan Arya, Governor of Haryana is transferred and appointed as Governor of Tripura, the statement said. Tripura Governor Ramesh Bais has been transferred and appointed as Governor of Jharkhand, it said.