NEW DELHI: Former Petroleum Minister and veteran BJP leader Ram Naik has been appointed as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Naik will replace B L Joshi, who demitted the office after the NDA Government decided to replace the governors appointed during the previous regime. The Ministry of Home Affairs officials confirmed the development, saying a formal order is likely to be issued soon.
Naik, a member of BJP National Executive Committee, was appointed the national convenor of “good governance cell” of the party, after he decided not to contest 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He represented North Mumbai Parliamentary constituency and has a track record of getting elected successively for five terms.
Five governors had resigned, after they were asked to put in their papers, including M K Narayanan (West Bengal), Shekhar Dutt (Chhattisgarh), Ashwani Kumar (Nagaland) and B V Wanchoo (Goa). V Purushothaman, Governor of Mizoram had resigned after he was transferred to Nagaland. Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj and Tripura Governor Devanand Konwar completed their tenure, while Puducherry Lt governor Virendra Kataria was sacked on Friday.