Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, currently serving as the Governor of Kerala, was sworn in as the Acting Governor of Tamil Nadu on Thursday at a ceremony held at the historic People’s Palace in Guindy, Chennai. The oath of office was administered by Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari in the presence of senior political leaders and state officials.
The appointment follows a recent reshuffle in gubernatorial positions by the Union government. After the resignation of C.V. Ananda Bose from his post, President Droupadi Murmu reassigned R.N. Ravi to West Bengal. In view of this transition, Arlekar has been given the additional responsibility of serving as Acting Governor of Tamil Nadu until a permanent appointment is made.
Arlekar arrived in Chennai late Wednesday night ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, which was attended by top functionaries from the Tamil Nadu government as well as leaders from across the political spectrum. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and M. Appavu were present, along with cabinet ministers including K.N. Nehru, M.R. K. Panneerselvam, E.V. Velu, Raghupathi, M. Subramanian, and Sekar Babu.
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Political leaders from other parties also attended the ceremony, including Nainar Nagendran and former Telangana Governor and BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan. Senior bureaucrats, including the state Chief Secretary and top police officials, were present as well.
Earlier in the day, R.N. Ravi took the oath as Governor of West Bengal, formally assuming charge of the office. With Arlekar now managing additional responsibilities in Tamil Nadu, the state administration is expected to continue functioning smoothly under this interim gubernatorial arrangement.
The swearing-in of Arlekar marks a significant administrative transition in Tamil Nadu, reflecting the ongoing changes in gubernatorial positions across several states. The Centre is expected to make a permanent appointment for the Tamil Nadu governorship in due course.
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