President Droupadi Murmu has named new Governors for six states in one late-night order on Monday, October 12. Former BJP MP Dr Sudha Yadav will move into Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar shifts from Keralam to Tamil Nadu, and Sikkim Governor Om Prakash Mathur takes his place in Thiruvananthapuram. The press communique from the President's Secretariat was released at 10:55 pm.
Four of the six names are fresh appointments, while two are transfers of sitting Governors. Each change takes effect on the day the new Governor formally assumes charge.
Full List of New Governors
| State | New Governor |
|---|---|
| Karnataka | Dr Sudha Yadav (new appointment) |
| Tamil Nadu | Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar (moved from Keralam) |
| Keralam | Om Prakash Mathur (moved from Sikkim) |
| Odisha | Braj Mohan Ram (new appointment) |
| Uttarakhand | Dr Dhal Singh Bisen (new appointment) |
| Sikkim | Dushyant Gautam (new appointment) |
| Order issued | October 12, 2026, President's Secretariat |
| Effective from | Date each Governor assumes charge |
Who Is Sudha Yadav, Karnataka's New Governor?
The most talked-about name on the list is Sudha Yadav, who succeeds Thaawarchand Gehlot in Karnataka. She first made headlines in 1999 when, as a political newcomer, she won the Mahendragarh Lok Sabha seat in Haryana on a BJP ticket, defeating Rao Inderjit Singh. She served in the 13th Lok Sabha until 2004.
Her entry into politics came after personal tragedy. Her husband, Sukhbir Singh Yadav, was a Deputy Commandant in the Border Security Force and was killed during the Kargil War. An academic by training, she holds a master's degree in Chemistry and a PhD from the University of Roorkee, now IIT Roorkee.
Within the party, she has held several organisational roles. She was the BJP's national in-charge of the OBC Morcha, served as a member of the National Commission for Backward Classes from 2019 to 2022, and was inducted into the BJP's powerful Parliamentary Board in August 2022.
Her posting is politically significant because Karnataka is ruled by the Congress, and the relationship between Raj Bhavan and the state government has often been tense in opposition-ruled states.
Arlekar Gets Full-Time Charge of Tamil Nadu
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is one of the most experienced Governors in the current lot. A former Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly (2012–2017) and a former Goa minister, he has already served as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Keralam. He had been holding additional charge of Tamil Nadu since March 2026, after R N Ravi was moved to West Bengal. Monday's order makes him the state's full-time Governor.
Om Prakash Mathur Moves to Keralam
Arlekar's chair in Keralam goes to Om Prakash Mathur, a veteran BJP organiser who was a Rajya Sabha member for two terms between 2008 and 2022 and has served as the party's national vice-president and general secretary. He has been Sikkim Governor since July 2024.
Fresh Faces in Odisha, Uttarakhand and Sikkim
- Braj Mohan Ram (Odisha): A former Lok Sabha MP from Palamu in Jharkhand. He succeeds Hari Babu Kambhampati, who had been in office since January 2025.
- Dr Dhal Singh Bisen (Uttarakhand): A former Lok Sabha MP from Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh. He takes over from Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmit Singh.
- Dushyant Gautam (Sikkim): A former national general secretary of the BJP, he fills the vacancy created by Mathur's transfer.
What It Means for the States
A Governor is the constitutional head of a state. Day to day, the office is largely ceremonial, but it matters a great deal at key moments: inviting a party to form government after a hung verdict, giving assent to Bills passed by the Assembly, acting as Chancellor of state universities, and sending reports to the Centre.
That is why changes at Raj Bhavan in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Keralam, all governed by parties other than the BJP, are watched closely. In recent years, disputes over pending Bills and vice-chancellor appointments in southern states have even reached the Supreme Court. How the new Governors work with elected governments will be closely followed in Bengaluru, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram.
The reshuffle also comes at a politically charged time nationally, with opposition parties campaigning in Delhi against the Election Commission over the revision of voter lists.
What Happens Next
The appointees will now travel to their respective state capitals, where the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court (or the senior-most judge) will administer the oath of office. The appointments formally come into force on the day each of them takes charge. Until then, the outgoing Governors continue in office.
Expect swearing-in ceremonies over the coming days, along with the customary first calls on Chief Ministers. Sudha Yadav's first interactions with the Congress government in Karnataka are likely to draw particular attention.
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