Governor of State – Notes GK

Governors are the constitutional head of each of the states of India. They are appointed by the President on the advice of Prime minister of India. In the state level, the Governor has the similar power as the President in the country level.

Governor of India

In imitation of the Government of India Act, 1935, Article 163 of the Constitution of India empowers the Governor to perform certain voluntary works in the states. The Governor does not consult with the State Cabinet during the exercise of this power.

According to Article 153 of the Constitution, there will be a Governor in each state. However, for two or more states, the same person can be appointed as the governor.

In the autonomous districts described in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, the Governor may exercise his discretionary power in disputes over the distribution of mineral resources.

The Governor can also exercise his discretionary power in appointing and dismissing members of the Cabinet, including the Chief Minister, convening sessions of the Legislative Assembly and dissolving the Legislative Assembly.

It is the responsibility of the Governor to inform the President whether the administration of the State is being conducted in accordance with the Constitution. In this case, he enjoys his power according to his will.

In the constitution, the governors of Nagaland, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Sikkim, etc. can act at their own discretion.

Power & Function of Governor:

1. The important role of the Governor depends on the Chief Minister. Three major powers are vested to the governor of India. These are –

  1. Executive powers
  2. Legislative powers
  3. Discretionary powers

Executive powers:

2. According to Article 154 of the Constitution, the governing power of the state is vested to the Governor.

3. According to Article 164 of the Constitution, the Governor appoints the Chief Minister and appoints other Ministers on the advice of the Chief Minister.

4. Governor can nominate 1 person from the Anglo-Indian community in the Legislative Assembly.

5. Governor can also nominate a few people in the Legislative Assembly from various fields such as literature, science, arts, social service, etc.

6. The governors of Bihar, Orissa, and Madhya Pradesh can appoint one minister (as an in-charge) in each of the respective states.

Legislative powers

1. The governor may convene, adjourn, and, if necessary, dissolve the legislature.

2. Governor can send messages to any session or joint session of both the house of parliament.

3. The governor can send the bill to the president for consideration without signing it. However, the President when will send the bill to the Governor depends entirely on the President.

4. If the session in the Legislative Assembly is closed, the Governor may issue an ordinance for a maximum of 6 months and must pass it within 6 weeks in the Legislative Assembly.

Discretionary powers

1. In a situation when the majority does not hold by any party, the Governor has the discretion to select a candidate for the Chief Minister provided that the candidate should establish a majority coalition as soon as possible.

2. The governor has the right to impose the president’s rule in the state.

3. Pursuant to Article 353 of the constitution, If the president permits, the governor can overrule the advice of the council of ministers during the emergency period.

Qualifications of Governor in India

The desire qualification to become a governor of India are –

  1. Must be a citizen of India.
  2. Age should be 35 years old or greater.
  3. Should not be a member of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha or the State Legislative Assembly.
  4. Should not hold an office of profit.

Impeachment of Governor of India

  1. Governor can resign by himself.
  2. On the advice of Prime Minister, the President can remove a Governor.
  3. The governor can not be removed without a valid reason.
  4. Governor can be dismissed for his unconstitutional activity.

Salary of Governor of India

The salary of the Governor in a state of India is Rs. 350,000. He also enjoys other payable allowances.


Notes: Fundamental Rights 
Notes: Directive Principle of State Policy


List of Governors of state in India:

StateGovernor
Andhra PradeshShri Biswa Bhusan Harichandan
Arunachal PradeshBrig. (Dr.) B. D. Mishra (Retd.)
AssamProf. Jagdish Mukhi
BiharShri Phagu Chauhan
ChhattisgarhSushri Anusuiya Uikey
GoaShri P.S. Sreedharan Pillai
GujaratShri Acharya Dev Vrat
HaryanaShri Bandaru Dattatraya
Himachal PradeshShri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
JharkhandShri Ramesh Bais
KarnatakaShri Thaawarchand Gehlot
KeralaShri Arif Mohammed Khan
Madhya PradeshShri Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel
MaharashtraShri Bhagat Singh Koshyari
ManipurShri La. Ganesan
MeghalayaShri Satya Pal Malik
MizoramDr. Kambhampati Haribabu
NagalandShri R. N. Ravi
OdishaProf. Ganeshi Lal
PunjabShri Banwarilal Purohit
RajasthanShri Kalraj Mishra
SikkimShri Ganga Prasad
Tamil NaduShri Banwarilal Purohit
TelanganaDr. Tamilisai Soundararajan
TripuraShri Satyadeo Narain Arya
Uttar PradeshSmt. Anandiben Patel
UttarakhandSmt. Baby Rani Maurya
West BengalShri Jagdeep Dhankhar

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Governor of India – important general knowledge points for any kind of competitive examinations for government jobs such as IAS, UPSC, SSC, CGL, Banking, Railway etc.