NEW DELHI, Dec 24: The former union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla has been appointed Manipur governor, according to official notification issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday.
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the former Governor of Bihar has being appointed as the new Governor of Kerala while the Kerala governor Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has been moved to Bihar as the new Governor.
According to the official order, former Army chief and former union minister Vijay Kumar Singh was appointed as Mizoram’s new Governor.
As per the official statement, President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of Odisha Governor Raghubar Das and has appointed the current Mizoram Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati as the new Governor of Odisha.
Ajay Bhalla’s appointment as the new Governor comes at a time when Manipur is reeling under a resurgence in ethnic violence that has rocked the state since May 2023. According to sources, Bhalla is considered to be one of the most trusted men of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and also enjoys the confidence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Notably, Mr Bhalla, who is from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, handled the Manipur crisis in the initial months as home secretary.
(Manas Dasgupta)
