Governors of Kerala
Key Takeaway
Term–5 yearsAppointed by –President of IndiaResidence –Raj Bhavan, ThiruvananthapuramGovernor–Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar (January 2, 2025)
Governors of Kerala
Term–5 yearsAppointed by –President of IndiaResidence –Raj Bhavan, ThiruvananthapuramGovernor–Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar (January 2, 2025)
Like every other state in India, the Governor is the titular Executive Head of the State as well as the nominal head of the state government. TheGovernor jointly with the Chief Minister and all the council of Ministerstake the legislative, executive, and administrative decisions for the state. President of India appoints a Governor for each state and union territory for a term of 5 years and he/she holds office at the President's pleasure.
Article 166of the Indian Constitution of 1949 states that all Government functions and activities should be done in the name of the Governor. The Governor can summon, prorogue, or can dissolve the legislative assembly.
If the State comes under thePresident's rule (Article 356), the Governor becomes the constitutional head of the State under the aegis of the President.Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekarwas appointed on January 2, 2025, as the23rd (current) Governor of Kerala.
Basic Facts(15)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| First Governor of Kerala | Burgula Ramakrishna Rao* |
| First Governor who resigned before completing the term of office | Ram* |
| Second Governor who resigned is | Sheila Dikshit* |
| First Governor who died while in office | Sikander Bhakt* |
| Other Governors who died in Office | M. O |
| First Woman Governor of Kerala | Jyothi Venkitachalam* |
| First Malayali to become Governor of an Indian State | V.P* |
| First Malayali to become Governor of Kerala | V. Viswanathan* |
| FirstActing Governor of Kerala | P.S. Rao(20 days, November of 1956)* |
| Acting Governors of Kerala | Dr. B. Ramakrishna Rao, Hansraj Bhardwaj & T.N. Chaturvedi |
| Former Kerala Governor who later became President of India | V.V. Giri* |
| (Kerala) in India | P. Sathasivam(40th Chief Justice) |
| Longest serving Governor of Kerala | V. Viswanathan* |
| Shortest serving Governor of Kerala | Sheila Dikshit* |
| Name the Governor gave the shortest policy address in the history of the Kerala Assembly | Arif Mohammed Khan* |
* Time-sensitive data — verify for latest information
List of Governors of Kerala(21)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Burgula Ramakrishna Rao1956 | 19602.V. V. Giri1960 – 19653 |
| Ajith Prasad Jain1965 | 19664 |
| Bhagwan Sahay1966 | 19675.V. Viswanathan1967 – 19736.N. N. Wanchoo1973 – 19777 |
| Jyothi Venkatachalam1977 | 19828.P. Ramachandran1982 – 19889 |
| Ram Dulari Sinha1988 | 199010 |
| Swaroop Singh12 February 1990 | 20 December 199011.B. Rachaiah1990 – 199512.P. Shiv Shankar1995 – 199613 |
| Khurshid Alam Khan1996 | 199714 |
| Sukhdev Singh Kang1997 | 200215 |
| Sikander Bakht(died in office)2002 | 200416.T. N. Chaturvedi25 February 2004 – 23 June 200417.R. L. Bhatia2004 – 200818.R. S. Gavai2008 – 201119.M. O. H. Farook(died in office)2011 – 201220 |
| Hansraj Bhardwaj2012 | 201321 |
| Nikhil Kumar2013 | 201422 |
| Sheila Dikshit5 March 2014 | 26 August 201423.P. Sathasivam2014 – 201924 |
| Arif Mohammad KhanSeptember 6, 2019 | December 24, 202425 |
| Rajendra Vishwanath ArlekarJanuary 2, 2025 | Incumbent* |
| SideNotes:Current Chief Justice of Kerala High Court | Ashish Jitendra Desai* |
| Article 131 | Special Powers of Supreme Court |
| Article 14 | Equality before the law |
| Article 21 | Protection of life and personal liberty |
| Article 25 | Freedom of religion |
| Term of Lieutenant Governors | Five years |
| First elected Chief Minister of the erstwhile Hyderabad State | Burgula Ramakrishna Rao* |
* Time-sensitive data — verify for latest information