Mumbai: Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's resignation as Governor of Maharashtra was accepted by President Droupadi Mumru on Sunday. Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais was nominated as the new Maharashtra Governor upon his resignation. "The President has accepted the resignation of Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari as Governor of Maharashtra," read a statement from the Office of the President. President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday reshuffled a total of 13 Governors in the country.
The official communication read: "Lt. General Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh; Lakshman Prasad Acharya as Governor of Sikkim; CP Radhakrishnan as Governor of Jharkhand; Shiv Pratap Shukla as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, S Abdul Nazeer as Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Gulab Chand Kataria as Governor of Assam."
However, Koshiyari's resignation has come at a time when the opposition in Maharashtra was demanding his removal from the post. Koshyari had invited uncalled attention for his controversial remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during an event, which led to a huge uproar in the political spheres. Keeping in mind the upcoming elections in the state, political experts argue that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) strategically removed Koshyari from the ceremonial position fearing a loss of votes.
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The opposition had demanded that Governor Koshyari be expelled due to his remarks on Savitribai Phule and Shivaji Maharaj. Violent protests against the Governor were staged across the state as he asked the people of Maharashtra to move on from 'old icons' such as Shivaji Maharaj to contemporary ones such as Balasaheb Thackeray and Nitin Gadkari.
The Maharashtra Governor during an event had said, "If someone asks who your idol is, you don't have to go out looking for one. You will find them right here in Maharashtra. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has become an old idol now, you can find new ones -- from Babasaheb Ambedkar to (Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways) Nitin Gadkari."
Reacting to it, a Congress leader said, "We request the President to act against this Governor and remove him from the post." Senior Congress leader Sharad Pawar on Koshiyar's statements said, "The Governor has crossed all limits. The President and the Prime Minister should intervene in this matter. It is wrong to give big posts to people, who make irresponsible statements."
The former Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari was born on 17 June 1942 in the Kapkot block of the Bageshwar district of the Kumaon division. Koshyari completed his early education in Almora. He had joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh during his studies and in the year 2000, Koshyari was made the Minister of Energy, Irrigation, Law and Legislative Affairs of Uttarakhand. In 2001, he became the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and on 31 August 2019, he was made the Governor of Maharashtra.
