Rameshwar Thakur is now Karnatka Governor

The Centre on Sunday appointed politically-shrewd Rameshwar Thakur as the Governor of Karnataka, shifting him from Orissa.

Days before the change of guard, from the JD(S) to the BJP in the State, the Centre on Sunday appointed politically-shrewd Rameshwar Thakur as the Governor of Karnataka, shifting him from Orissa.Thakur will take oath as 15th Governor on August 21 at 12 noon, according to Raj Bhavan sources in Bangalore. Apart from Karnataka, President Pratibha Patil on Sunday appointed new governors for Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, Rajasthan, Arunanchal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. Thakur, a native of Bihar and a former Union minister, is expected to play a vital role in the State as the chasm between the ruling JD(S) and BJP had widened on the question of transfer of power on October 3.

Mr Thakur has been appointed as Karnataka Governor for the remainder of his term, succeeding T N Chaturvedi, whose term of office expires on Monday. Trilok Nath Chaturvedi, who took charge as 14th Governor of Karnataka on August 21, 2002, is an expert in parliamentary affairs and legislature procedure. And he proved it time and again by guiding and, in fact, cautioning the Government whenever it went astray.Though he was appointed by the BJP-led NDA government as the governor, he was not disturbed by the Congress-led UPA Government, which later took over the reins of power at the Centre. The 80-year-old Thakur will hold office in Karnataka till November 18, 2009.Sources said Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil had spoken to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on phone before finalising the name. Kumaraswamy is expected to hand over the rein to his Deputy B S Yediyurappa of the BJP in an agreement signed by both at the time of formation of the coalition after he broke away from the Congress-led coalition in January 2006. Meanwhile, former Uttarakhand chief minister N D Tiwari has been appointed as Andhra Pradesh Governor succeeding Rameshwar Thakur, who also held the charge as Orissa Governor. Shilendra Kumar Singh, the Governor of Arunanchal Pradesh, has been appointed as Rajasthan Governor for the remainder of his term replacing Dr A R Kidwai. Nagaland Governor K Sankaranarayanan has been given the additional charge of the Governor of Arunanchal Pradesh. Uttarakhand Governor Sudarshan Agarwal has been appointed as Sikkim Governor for the remainder of his term succeeding V Rama Rao, whose term expires on October 24. Meghalaya Governor B L Joshi will take over as Governor of Uttarakhand.
THAKUR MAY ARRIVE IN BANGALORE TODAY

Orissa Governor Rameshwar Thakur, who has been shifted to Karnataka, is likely to leave Bhubaneswar for Bangalore on Monday, an official at the Raj Bhavan herer said, reports S T Beuria from Bhubaneshwar.“I do not know the exact time but the Governor is likely to leave for Bangalore on Monday, probably by service flight”, he added. For Thakur, a veteran Congressman, the Karnataka governorship will be his third stint as head of a state. While holding the governorship of Orissa, he had also functioned as the governor of Andhra Pradesh on temporary basis on more than one occasion.

Born on July 28, 1927 in Thakur Gangti village in Godda district of undivided Bihar (now Jharkhand), the 80-year-old Congress leader was elected to Rajya Sabha twice in 1984 and 1990. A chartered accountant by profession, Thakur was minister of state for finance, rural development and parliamentary affairs in the Union council of ministers between 1991 and 1994 under the prime ministership of the late P V Narasimha Rao.Thakur had a smooth stint as the Governor of Orissa without any major differences with the state government. “He will always be remembered as one of the most gentle and non-interfering governor Orissa ever had”, is what a senior member of Naveen Patnaik cabinet said when asked to describe Thakur’s tenure as the head of the state.