Third Jharkhand governor headed for Maharashtra Raj Bhavan in 15 years

Jharkhand governor C P Radhakrishnan (67) will soon take over as governor of Maharashtra. There appears to be a special bond between the two states, with Radhakrishnan becoming the third Jharkhand governor to be shifted to Maharashtra.

While serving as Jharkhand governor, veteran Congress leader K Sankaranarayanan, who had served as a minister in Kerala for a long period, was shifted to Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on Jan 22, 2010. His exit, though, was unceremonious-he was asked to quit in 2014 following a change of guard at the Centre when Modi 1.0 govt took over the reins.

Ramesh Bais was appointed Jharkhand governor on July 14, 2021, and shifted to Maharashtra on Feb 18, 2023. He completed five years in office on July 28. According to reports, while the tenure of a governor is fixed for five years, many continue to stay in office in the absence of a new appointee for the gubernatorial assignment.

Significantly, both Sankaranarayanan and Bais kept very low profiles. Their participation in public events was negligible compared to Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who always made his presence felt. Koshyari, Maharashtra governor from 2019-2023, was locked in umpteen controversies.

Radhakrishnan comes with a rich experience in political and public life. As a dedicated RSS activist and later as office-bearer of Jan Sangh, he had made significant contributions towards building up the organisation at the grassroots level in Tamil Nadu, where he also served as state BJP president. Radhakrishnan was twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore.

At home in Bihar

Devesh Chandra Thakur (71), from south Mumbai who was raised in Pune, has been elected to the Lok Sabha from Bihar's Sitamarhi seat. As a state Youth Congress activist, Thakur was closely associated with CMs Sushilkumar Shinde and Vilasrao Deshmukh. He quietly shifted to Bihar and was elected to the Bihar legislative council for four consecutive terms. He was Bihar legislative council's chairman and a cabinet member in the Nitish Kumar govt.

In the recent past, he emerged as one of the trusted aides of Kumar. Thakur played a key role in the political changes in Bihar when Kumar deserted Lalu Prasad and joined hands with BJP. In the entire process, Kumar was firmly in the saddle.

People of Bihar think Thakur is a Maharashtrian, while people of Mumbai and Pune feel he is a "pakka Bihari". He has been associated with social and cultural activities as well as with bureaucrats and IPS officers in both the states. It happens very rarely that a politician raised in Maharashtra is elected to the Lok Sabha from Bihar.

Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes, messages and quotes !