New Delhi: After appointing former IPS officer Kiran Bedi as the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry, the Centre is planning to reshuffle some governors and may also appoint a few new ones.
One of the important names doing the rounds is that of Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel, who is being considered for Punjab which does not have a full-time governor as Haryana governor Kaptan Singh Solanki holds additional charge there.
Speculation is rife that Ms Patel could be replaced as Gujarat chief minister by senior minister Nitin Patel.
A section within the government is of the view that Rajasthan governor Kalyan Singh should be moved to another crucial state in north India and, if this happens, then current Uttarakhand governor K.K. Paul could replace Mr Singh in the Jaipur Raj Bhavan.
Sources said the name of another former Delhi police chief, B.S. Bassi, is under consideration for governorship as a possible replacement for Dr Paul in Uttarakhand.
The government is also keen on appointing noted lawyer and former attorney-general Soli Sorabjee as governor in an important state. In fact, Mr Sorabjee’s name was also considered around the time when senior BJP leader from Gujarat Vajubhai Vala was appointed governor of Karnataka in 2014.
The term of Tamil Nadu governor K. Rosaiah ends in about three months. So the Centre is looking for a replacement for him as well. “It appears a final decision will be taken after the Cabinet reshuffle,” a senior government functionary said.
