State-wise List of Governors of India & Union Territories 2022

List of Governors of States UPSC Relevance

List of Governors of States: State-wise List of Governors of India is an important source of information for candidates preparing for various government Exams, especially SSC, Banking, Various State PCS  and UPSC.

State-wise List of Governors of India will also discuss who is governor and what are governors key roles and responsibilities. State-wise List of Governors of India is especially curated and verified from the Union Home Ministry’s Official Site.

List of Major Sites in Indus Valley Civilization and Findings

List of Governors of States- Who is Governor?

• The office of the governor has been borrowed from the Government of India Act 1935. He is to be appointed by the president of India.
• Unlike the British Indian government, the governor is a nominal head of a state. Like president at the centre, s/he is expected to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers (COM) state, barring few constitutional and situational discretions.

• Constitution makers imagined governor to be a common link between center and states, ensuring the smooth functioning of the democratic government in the state.

What are the Constitutional Provisions regarding Office of Governor?

• Article 163: It is the source of all discretionary powers of the governor, resulting in conflict with elected state executives and legislature.
• Article 153: Governor for each State or two or more States.
• Article 256: The executive power of the Union shall extend to the giving of such directions to a State as may appear to the Government of India to be necessary for that purpose.
• Emergency powers (Art 356): Governor can recommend imposition of emergency in the state on grounds of failure of constitutional machinery in the state and issues the proclamation, after obtaining the consent of the President of India.

List of Governors of States

Governors are an important link between Union government and various states. They serve as the Constitutional head at the state level. The list of Governors of States are mentioned below-

List of Lieutenant Governors And Administrators for Union Territories

The post of Lieutenant Governors in a Union Territory is similar to that of a Governor in any State. The Lieutenant Governor is appointed by the President of India for a tenure of five years. Like governor of a state, he/she also serves at the pleasure of the president.

There are a total of 8 Union Territories in India. The list of Lieutenant Governor and Administrators for these Union Territories are mentioned below-

Office of Governor: Issues and Suggestions

How the office of State Governors in India Misused?

• Appointment/removal process: Governors hold office till the pleasure of the president as no grounds for removal is mentioned in the constitution.
  • This leads to favoritism in the appointment process and well-suited candidates are ignored in favor of the less competent individuals.
• Acting as an agent of a political party at the centre: Due to favoritism in the appointment and lack of any security of tenure in the constitution, the office of governor often works as a puppet/agent of the union government instead of acting as a bridge between state and centre government.
• Discretionary powers:
  • Partisan role in Hung assemblies: It is a situational discretion where s/he is free to invite a party/alliance to form the government in case no single party/pre-poll alliance has won the majority of the seats in the state assembly elections.
    • Ex: Karnataka where the governor invited the single largest party to form the government instead of inviting the leader of a post-poll alliance that had won the majority seats in the elections.
  • Misuse of power of reserving a bill for the president’s consideration: It is his constitutional discretion to reserve certain state bills for the consideration of the president.
    • Misusing this power, governors often interfere in the law-making process of the state assembly, especially for the bills which are uncomfortable to the central government.
• Misuse of the emergency powers: Governors have often found to be recommending imposition of the president’s rule in the state on frivolous grounds, especially when the ruling party at centre is different from that of the concerned state.
• Bypassing the elected government: There have been instances when governors found to give orders to state officials directly or visit public offices without informing the state governments. This is against his/her constitutional mandate as he is only a nominal head and expected to act on the advice of the COM in the state.

 How the Office of Governor can be made More Efficient/Constitutional?

• Implementing the S.R Bommai judgment in the letter and spirit: which allows the Supreme Court to investigate the imposition of emergency in the state on the grounds of being mala-fide and unreasonable.
• Develop a sound procedure for appointment and removal of the governors: as suggested by Puchhi and Sarkaria Commissions, governors should be selected based on impeccable character and quality and should be provided with a fixed tenure.
• Develop a code of conduct for the office of the governor: with prior consultation and agreement of the union and state governments along with Supreme Court, high courts, and other constitutional experts in the field.
• Upholding the constitutional principles: Governor should uphold constitutional morality by upholding the spirit of the constitution, instead of acting in the narrow political interests of the ruling party at the centre.

List of Governors of States FAQs

1. Which constitutional article establishes the office of governor?

Ans. Article 153 of the constitution provides for the office of Governor for each State or two or more States.

2. Who appoints the Governors of States?

Ans. The President of India appoints the Governors of States on the aid and advice of Council of Ministers (CoM).

3. Who can remove the Governors for their office?

Ans. Governors of the States serve at the pleasure of the President. Hence, the President of India has constitutional authority to remove Governors.

List of Governor-General and Viceroys of India

Governor Powers to Dissolve Legislative Assembly Explained

Governor Powers to Dissolve Legislative Assembly Explained

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