List of governors of Uttarakhand (Redirected from Governor of Uttarakhand)

Governor of Uttarakhand
Incumbent
Gurmit Singh
since 15 September 2021
Government of Uttarakhand
StyleHis Excellency (within Uttarakhand)
The Honourable (outside Uttarakhand)
StatusHead of state
ResidenceRaj Bhavan, Nainital (summer)
Raj Bhavan, Dehradun (winter)
NominatorUnion Government of India
AppointerPresident of India with confirmation of Prime Minister of India
Term lengthFive years
Renewable
Inaugural holderSurjit Singh Barnala (2000–2003)
Formation9 November 2000; 22 years ago (2000-11-09)
WebsiteGovernor of Uttarakhand

The Governor of Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड के राज्यपाल) is the nominal head of state of the Indian state of Uttarakhand and a representative of the president of India and is appointed by him for a term of five years, and holds office at the president's pleasure. The governor is de jure head of the state government; all its executive actions are taken in the governor's name. However, the governor must act on the advice of the popularly elected Uttarakhand Council of Ministers, headed by the chief minister of Uttarakhand, who thus hold de facto executive authority at the state-level. The Constitution of India also empowers the governor to act upon his or her own discretion, such as the ability to appoint or dismiss a ministry, recommend President's rule, or reserve bills for the president's assent. The governor of Uttarakhand has their official residences at the Raj Bhavans in Dehradun and Nainital.

Raj Bhavan retreat at Nainital, Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand was created on 9 November 2000, when it was carved out from the Himalayan districts of Uttar Pradesh. The first governor of the state was Surjit Singh Barnala who served in office between 2000 and 2003. The current governor is Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh (Retd.) who has been in office since 14 September 2021. As of date, eight individuals have served as the governor of the state including two women - Margaret Alva and Baby Rani Maurya. No governor has till date completed full term in office. Sudarshan Agarwal holds the record of the longest-serving governor with 4 years, 293 days in office.

Qualifications

Article 157 and Article 158 of the Constitution of India specify eligibility requirements for the post of governor. They are as follows:

A governor must:

Powers and functions

The governor enjoys many different types of powers:

  • Executive powers related to administration, appointments and removals,
  • Legislative powers related to lawmaking and the state legislature, that is Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly) & vidhan parishad, and
  • Discretionary powers to be carried out according to the discretion of the governor.

Apart from enjoying various constitutional powers, the governor of Uttarakhand is the ex-officio Chancellor of the state universities of Uttarakhand. The universities include Kumaun University, Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, Doon University, Uttarakhand Open University, Uttarakhand Technical University, Sri Dev Suman Uttarakhand University, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical Education University, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Uttarakhand Residential University, Soban Singh Jeena University.

List of governors

Following is the list of the governors of Uttarakhand since its inception on 9 November 2000:

No. Portrait Name
(born – died)
Home state Tenure in office Prior positions held Chief Minister(s) Appointed by
(President)
From To Time in office
1 Surjit Singh Barnala
सुरजीत सिंह बरनाला
(1925–2017)
Punjab 9 November
2000
7 January
2003
2 years, 59 days Nityanand Swami K. R. Narayanan
Bhagat Singh Koshyari
N. D. Tiwari
Former Chief Minister of Punjab. Appointed as the first Governor of Uttaranchal in November 2000 after the state's formation as a result of its bifurcation from Uttar Pradesh. Administered oath to BJP's Nityanand Swami as the state's first chief minister moments after being sworn-in as the state governor. As the inaugural governor of the state, played important role in the state's development and progress. Remained in office until being transferred and appointed as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh in January 2003.
2 Sudarshan Agarwal
सुदर्शन अग्रवाल
(1931–2019)
Punjab 8 January
2003
28 October
2007
4 years, 293 days N. D. Tiwari A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
B. C. Khanduri
Former Secretary-General of Rajya Sabha. Appointed as the second Governor of Uttaranchal in January 2003 following the transfer of his predecessor Surjit Singh Barnala as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh. Briefly discharged the additional duties of the Governor of Uttar Pradesh in July 2004 following the dismissal of governor Vishnu Kant Shastri and remained in office till the appointment of T. V. Rajeswar. Till date, the longest-serving governor of the state. Served in office until being transferred and appointed as the Governor of Sikkim in October 2007.
3 Banwari Lal Joshi
बनवारी लाल जोशी
IPS (Retd.)
(1936–2017)
Rajasthan 29 October
2007
5 August
2009
1 year, 280 days B. C. Khanduri Pratibha Patil
Ramesh Pokhriyal
Governor of Meghalaya at the time of appointment. Subsequently transferred and appointed as the third Governor of Uttarakhand in October 2007 to succeed Sudarshan Agarwal who was appointed as the Governor of Sikkim. Continued to remain in office until being transferred as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh in July 2009.
4 Margaret Alva
मार्गरेट अल्वा
(born 1942)
Karnataka 6 August
2009
14 May
2012
2 years, 282 days Ramesh Pokhriyal Pratibha Patil
B. C. Khanduri
Vijay Bahuguna
Former Union Minister. Appointed as the fourth Governor of Uttarakhand in August 2009 to succeed Banwari Lal Joshi who was appointed as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. First female to be appointed as the governor of the state. Tenure marked by fallouts with ruling state government. Remained in office until being transferred as the Governor of Rajasthan in May 2012.
5 Aziz Qureshi
अज़ीज़ क़ुरैशी
(born 1941)
Madhya Pradesh 15 May
2012
7 January
2015
2 years, 237 days Vijay Bahuguna Pratibha Patil
Harish Rawat
Former Lok Sabha MP. Appointed as the fifth Governor of Uttarakhand in May 2012 to succeed Margaret Alva who was appointed as the Governor of Rajasthan. Briefly discharged the additional duties of the Governor of Uttar Pradesh in 2014 following the resignation of governor Banwari Lal Joshi and remained in office till the appointment of Ram Naik. Continued to serve as the Governor of Uttarakhand until being transferred as the Governor of Mizoram in January 2015.
6 Krishan Kant Paul
कृष्ण कांत पॉल
IPS (Retd.)
(born 1948)
Chandigarh 8 January
2015
21 August
2018
3 years, 225 days Harish Rawat Pranab Mukherjee
Vacant
Harish Rawat
Vacant
Harish Rawat
Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor of Meghalaya, Manipur and Mizoram at the time of appointment. Transferred and appointed as the sixth Governor of Uttarakhand in January 2015 to succeed Aziz Qureshi who was transferred as the Governor of Mizoram. Tenure as governor marked by significant political developments including the imposition of President's Rule in the state in March 2016 after the ruling Congress government was reduced to a minority. President's rule was withdrawn after chief minister Harish Rawat was reinstated in a trust vote in April 2016. Continued to serve as governor of the state until retiring upon completion of tenure in August 2018.
7 Baby Rani Maurya
बेबी रानी मौर्य
(born 1956)
Uttar Pradesh 26 August
2018
14 September
2021
3 years, 19 days Trivendra Singh Rawat Ram Nath Kovind
Tirath Singh Rawat
Pushkar Singh Dhami
Former Mayor of Agra. Appointed as the seventh Governor of Uttarakhand in August 2018 to succeed Dr. Krishan Kant Paul who had retired earlier. Second female to be appointed as the governor of the state. Remained in office until resigning on 14 September 2021 to re-join active politics. Later appointed as cabinet minister in Government of Uttar Pradesh.
8 Lieutenant General
Gurmit Singh
(Retd.)

गुरमित सिंह
PVSM UYSM AVSM VSM
(born 1956)
Punjab 14 September
2021
Incumbent 2 years, 21 days Pushkar Singh Dhami Ram Nath Kovind
Appointed as the eighth Governor of Uttarakhand in September 2021 following the resignation of his predecessor Baby Rani Maurya. First governor of the state with military background. While in service, also discharged his duties in Banbasa district of the state. Currently serving in office.

Timeline

Gurmit Singh (general)Baby Rani MauryaKrishan Kant PaulAziz QureshiMargaret AlvaBanwari Lal JoshiSudarshan AgarwalSurjit Singh Barnala

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-10-06 10:01 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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