Odisha, Nagaland, Kerala, Tripura get new governors

Former CBI Director Ashwani Kumar and Congress veteran S C Jamir were on Saturday appointed as governors of Nagaland and Odisha respectively.

Kumar, who was the Director of the agency from August 2008 to November 2010, is the first head of the agency to be appointed as a Governor.

62-year-old Kumar, who has worked in various positions in CBI and elite SPG, completed his doctorate from HimachalPradeshUniversity.

President Pranab Mukherjee also transferred governor of Tripura D Y Patil to Bihar and shifted Bihar Governor Devanand Konwar to Tripura for the remainder of their five-year terms, Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson Venru Rajamony said in an official release.

Former Delhi Police Commissioner Nikhil Kumar, who was serving as governor of Nagaland, has been transferred and appointed as Governor of Kerala for the remainder of his tenure.

Karnataka Governor H R Bhardawaj was looking after Kerala after the death of M O H Farooqui on January 26, 2012.

A 1963-batch IPS officer, 72-year-old Kumar was appointed as governor of Nagaland on October 15, 2009.

Patil had taken over as the governor of Tripura state on November 27, 2009.

Konwar took over as governor of Bihar on September 26, 2009.

Four-time Nagaland Chief Minister and former governor of Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, 81-year-old Jamir was appointed as Odisha governor.

He succeeds 84-year-old M C Bhandare who had been appointed as governor in August 2007 and was continuing even after his term had expired last year.