Pururava at 19:36, 25 March 2026

2026-03-25T19:36:13Z

New page

{{Short description|''De jure'' head of the state of Tamil Nadu}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2026}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}}
{{Infobox official post
|post = [[Governor (India)|Governor]]
|body = [[Tamil Nadu]]
|native_name = {{lang|ta-Latn|Tamiḻnāṭu Āḷunar}}
|insignia = [[File:Emblem of India.svg|70px|frameless|upright=0.6|class=skin-invert]]
|insigniacaption = [[State Emblem of India|Emblem of India]]
|image = Rajendra Arlekar, Governor of Kerala.jpg
|incumbent = [[Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar]] '''(Additional Charge)'''
|incumbentsince = 12 March 2026
|style = [[His Excellency]]
|status = [[Head of state]]
|reports_to = [[President of India]]
|residence = {{unbulleted list|[[Lok Bhavan, Chennai]]|[[Lok Bhavan, Ooty|Lok Bhavan, Udhagamandalam]]}}
|appointer = [[President of India]]
|formation = {{start date and age|df=y|1948|09|07}}
|first = {{bulleted list|[[Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji]] {{small|(as Governor of Madras State)}}|[[Ujjal Singh]] {{small|(as Governor of Tamil Nadu)}}}}
|website = {{URL|https://tnrajbhavan.gov.in/|tnlokbhavan.gov.in}}
}}
The '''governor of Tamil Nadu''' is the constitutional head and the representative of the [[president of India]]. In the [[States of India|state]] of [[Tamil Nadu]], the [[Governor (India)|governor]] holds an important position in ensuring that the administration functions according to the [[constitution of India]]. They are appointed by the president and serve as the nominal executive authority of the state. The governor’s official residences are the [[Lok Bhavan]], located in [[Lok Bhavan, Chennai|Chennai]] and [[Lok Bhavan, Ooty|Udhagamandalam]]. The governor performs various duties, such as giving assent to bills passed by the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|state legislative assembly]], appointing the [[Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu|chief minister]], and overseeing the constitutional functioning of the [[Government of Tamil Nadu|state government]]. Although the real executive power lies with the [[Tamil Nadu Council of Ministers|council of ministers]] headed by the chief minister, the governor plays a vital role in maintaining the constitutional framework and stability of the state administration.<ref>[[Durga Das Basu]]. ''Introduction to the Constitution of India''. 1960. 20th edition, 2011 reprint. LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur. {{ISBN|978-81-8038-559-9}}. p. 237, 241–44. Note: although the text talks about Indian state governments in general, it applies for the specific case of Tamil Nadu as well.</ref>

The [[List of current Indian governors|current incumbent]] is [[Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar]], who has been serving as an additional charge since 12 March 2026.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/kerala-governor-rajendra-vishwanath-arlekar-assumes-additional-charge-as-tamil-nadu-governor/article70734203.ece|title=Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar assumes additional charge as Tamil Nadu Governor|date=12 March 2026|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=12 March 2026}}</ref>

==Qualifications==
[[s:Constitution of India/Part VI#Article 157 .7BQualifications for appointment as Governor.7D|Article 157]] and [[s:Constitution of India/Part VI#Article 158 .7BConditions of Governor's office.7D|Article 158]] of the [[Constitution of India]] specify eligibility requirements for the post of governor. They are as follows:

A governor:
*must be at least 35 years of age.
*should not be a member of either the [[Parliament of India|houses of the parliament]] or the [[State Legislative Assembly (India)|house of the state legislature]].
*should not hold any office of profit.
Traditionally, governors are not appointed to lead the states where they reside, although this is not stipulated in the constitution.

==Powers and functions==
{{See also|Governors of India#Powers and functions|l1=Powers and functions of the Governor}}
The governor has:
*'''Executive powers''' related to administration, appointments and removals
*'''Legislative powers''' related to lawmaking and the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|state legislative assembly]] and
*'''Discretionary powers''' are to be carried out according to the discretion of the Governor.

In his ex-officio capacity, the governor of Tamil Nadu is chancellor of the universities of Tamil Nadu as per the Acts of the Universities.

==Oath==
“I, _________________ ''(Name of the appointee)'', do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of Governor (or discharge the functions of the Governor) of Tamil Nadu and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law and that I will devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Tamil Nadu.”

==List==
;Key
*{{note label|RES|RES|RES}} Resigned
*{{note label|†|†|†}} Died in office
*{{legend|wheat|Acting / Additional Charge|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
*{{note label|§|§|§}} Transferred
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|+Governors of Madras Presidency
|-
!rowspan=2|No.
!rowspan=2|Portrait
!rowspan=2|Name
{{nowrap|(Birth–Death)}}
!rowspan=2|Home state
!colspan=3|Term of office
!rowspan=2|Appointed by
|-
!Assumed office
!Left office
!Time in office
|-
!1
|[[File:Lieutenant-general a E Nye, Cb, Mc Art.IWMARTLD3205.jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Archibald Nye]]''' (1895–1967)
|[[Dublin]]
|15 August 1947
|6 September 1948
|1 year, 22 days
|[[Lord Mountbatten]]
|-
!2
|
|'''[[Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji]]''' (1912–1965)
|[[Gujarat]]
|7 September 1948
|25 January 1950
|1 year, 140 days
|[[C. Rajagopalachari]]
|}

;Development after independence
'''Madras State''' was a state in the [[Indian Republic]], which was in existence during the mid-20th century as a successor to the [[Madras Presidency|Madras Province]] of [[British India]]. The state came into existence on 26 January 1950 when the [[Constitution of India]] was adopted and included the present-day [[Tamil Nadu]] and parts of neighbouring states of [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Karnataka]], and [[Keralam]].

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|+Governors of Madras State
|-
!rowspan=2|No.
!rowspan=2|Portrait
!rowspan=2|Name
{{nowrap|(Birth–Death)}}
!rowspan=2|Home state
!colspan=3|Term of office
!rowspan=2|Appointed by
|-
!Assumed office
!Left office
!Time in office
|-
!1
|
|'''[[Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji]]''' (1912–1965)
|[[Gujarat]]
|26 January 1950
|11 March 1952
|2 years, 45 days
|rowspan=5|[[Rajendra Prasad]]
|-
!2
|[[File:Sri Prakasa Portrait.jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Sri Prakasa]]''' (1890–1971)
|[[Uttar Pradesh]]
|12 March 1952
|9 December 1956
|4 years, 272 days
|-
!3
|
|'''[[A. J. John]]''' (1893–1957)
|[[Keralam]]
|10 December 1956
|30 September 1957{{ref label|†|†|†}}
|294 days
|-
!style="background:wheat;"|–
|style="background:wheat;"|[[File:P. V. Rajamannar.jpg|100px]]
|style="background:wheat;"|'''[[P. V. Rajamannar]]''' (1901–1979) (Acting)
|style="background:wheat;"|[[Tamil Nadu]]
|style="background:wheat;"|1 October 1957
|style="background:wheat;"|24 January 1958
|style="background:wheat;"|115 days
|-
!4
|[[File:Bishnuram Medhi.jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Bishnu Ram Medhi]]''' (1888–1981)
|[[Assam]]
|24 January 1958
|3 May 1964
|6 years, 100 days
|-
!5
|[[File:Court portrait of Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar of Mysore.jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar]]''' (1919–1974)
|[[Karnataka]]
|4 May 1964
|23 November 1964
|203 days
|rowspan=7|[[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]]
|-
!style="background:wheat;"|–
|style="background:wheat;"|[[File:P. Chandra Reddy.jpg|100px]]
|style="background:wheat;"|'''[[P. Chandra Reddy]]''' (1904–1976) (Acting)
|style="background:wheat;"|[[Andhra Pradesh]]
|style="background:wheat;"|24 November 1964
|style="background:wheat;"|7 February 1965
|style="background:wheat;"|75 days
|-
!(5)
|[[File:Court portrait of Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar of Mysore.jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar]]''' (1919–1974)
|[[Karnataka]]
|8 February 1965{{ref label|§|§|§}}
|14 August 1965
|187 days
|-
!style="background:wheat;"|–
|style="background:wheat;"|[[File:P. Chandra Reddy.jpg|100px]]
|style="background:wheat;"|'''[[P. Chandra Reddy]]''' (1904–1976) (Acting)
|style="background:wheat;"|[[Andhra Pradesh]]
|style="background:wheat;"|13 August 1965{{ref label|§|§|§}}
|style="background:wheat;"|19 September 1965
|style="background:wheat;"|37 days
|-
!(5)
|[[File:Court portrait of Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar of Mysore.jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar]]''' (1919–1974)
|[[Karnataka]]
|20 September 1965{{ref label|§|§|§}}
|3 January 1966
|105 days
|-
!style="background:wheat;"|–
|style="background:wheat;"|[[File:P. Chandra Reddy.jpg|100px]]
|style="background:wheat;"|'''[[P. Chandra Reddy]]''' (1904–1976) (Acting)
|style="background:wheat;"|[[Andhra Pradesh]]
|style="background:wheat;"|4 January 1966{{ref label|§|§|§}}
|style="background:wheat;"|27 June 1966
|style="background:wheat;"|174 days
|-
!rowspan=2|6
|rowspan=2|[[File:Sardar Ujjal Singh portrait.jpg|100px]]
|rowspan=2|'''[[Ujjal Singh]]''' (1895–1983)
|rowspan=2|[[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
|style="background:wheat;"|28 June 1966
|style="background:wheat;"|16 June 1967
|rowspan=2|2 years, 199 days
|-
|17 June 1967
|13 January 1969
|[[Zakir Husain]]
|}

;Change in nomenclature
On 18 July 1967, the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|state legislative assembly]] unanimously adopted a resolution recommending that the [[Government of Tamil Nadu|state government]] take the necessary steps to secure an amendment to the [[Constitution of India]] aimed at changing the name of Madras State to [[Tamil Nadu]]. Consequently, the Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act, 1968 (Central Act 53 of 1968), was enacted by the [[Parliament of India]] and came into effect on 14 January 1969.

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|+Governors of Tamil Nadu
|-
!rowspan=2|No.
!rowspan=2|Portrait
!rowspan=2|Name
{{nowrap|(Birth–Death)}}
!rowspan=2|Home state
!colspan=3|Term of office
!rowspan=2|Appointed by
|-
!Assumed office
!Left office
!Time in office
|-
!1
|[[File:Sardar Ujjal Singh portrait.jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Ujjal Singh]]''' (1895–1983)
|[[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
|14 January 1969
|26 May 1971
|2 years, 132 days
|[[Zakir Husain]]
|-
!2
|[[File:Kodardas Kalidas Shah portrait.jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Kodardas Kalidas Shah]]''' (1908–1986)
|[[Gujarat]]
|27 May 1971
|15 June 1976
|5 years, 19 days
|[[Varahagiri Venkata Giri]]
|-
!3
|[[File:Mohan Lal Sukhadia 1988 stamp of India (cropped).jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Mohan Lal Sukhadia]]''' (1916–1982)
|[[Rajasthan]]
|16 June 1976
|8 April 1977
|296 days
|[[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]]
|-
!style="background:wheat;"|–
|style="background:wheat;"|
|style="background:wheat;"|'''P. Govindan Nair''' (Unknown) (Acting)
|style="background:wheat;"|[[Keralam]]
|style="background:wheat;"|9 April 1977
|style="background:wheat;"|26 April 1977
|style="background:wheat;"|17 days
|rowspan=2|[[B. D. Jatti]]
|-
!4
|
|'''[[Prabhudas Patwari|Prabhudas B. Patwari]]''' (1909–1985)
|[[Gujarat]]
|27 April 1977
|26 October 1980
|3 years, 182 days
|-
!style="background:wheat;"|–
|style="background:wheat;"|
|style="background:wheat;"|'''[[M. M. Ismail]]''' (1921–2005) (Acting)
|style="background:wheat;"|[[Tamil Nadu]]
|style="background:wheat;"|26 October 1980
|style="background:wheat;"|3 November 1980
|style="background:wheat;"|8 days
|rowspan=2|[[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]]
|-
!5
|
|'''[[Sadiq Ali]]''' (1910–2001)
|[[Rajasthan]]
|4 November 1980
|2 September 1982
|1 year, 302 days
|-
!6
|
|'''[[Sundar Lal Khurana|S. L. Khurana]]''' (1918–2007)
|[[National Capital Territory of Delhi]]
|3 September 1982
|16 February 1988
|5 years, 166 days
|[[Giani Zail Singh]]
|-
!7
|[[File:P. C. Alexander (cropped).jpg|100px]]
|'''[[P. C. Alexander]]''' (1921–2011)
|[[Keralam]]
|17 February 1988
|23 May 1990
|2 years, 95 days
|rowspan=3|[[R. Venkataraman]]
|-
!8
|[[File:Surjit Singh Barnala, 2008.png|100px]]
|'''[[Surjit Singh Barnala]]''' (1925–2017)
|[[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
|24 May 1990
|14 February 1991{{ref label|RES|RES|RES}}
|266 days
|-
!9
|[[File:Bhishma Narain Singh (cropped).jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Bhishma Narain Singh]]''' (1933–2018)
|[[Jharkhand]]
|14 February 1991
|30 May 1993{{ref label|RES|RES|RES}}
|2 years, 105 days
|-
!10
|[[File:DrMChannaReddy (cropped).jpg|100px]]
|'''[[M. Chenna Reddy]]''' (1919–1996)
|[[Telangana]]
|31 May 1993
|2 December 1996{{ref label|†|†|†}}
|3 years, 185 days
|rowspan=3|[[Shankar Dayal Sharma]]
|-
!style="background:wheat;"|–
|style="background:wheat;"|[[File:Krishan Kant, 10th Vice President of India.jpg|100px]]
|style="background:wheat;"|'''[[Krishan Kant]]''' (1927–2002) [[Governor of Andhra Pradesh]] (Additional Charge)
|style="background:wheat;"|[[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
|style="background:wheat;"|2 December 1996
|style="background:wheat;"|25 January 1997
|style="background:wheat;"|54 days
|-
!11
|[[File:Justice Fathima Beevi.JPG|100px]]
|'''[[M. Fathima Beevi]]''' (1927–2023)
|[[Keralam]]
|25 January 1997
|25 February 2001
|4 years, 31 days
|-
!style="background:wheat;"|–
|style="background:wheat;"|[[File:The Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Dr. C. Rangarajan addressing a press conference on ‘Economic Review 2012-13’, in New Delhi on April 23, 2013 (cropped).jpg|100px]]
|style="background:wheat;"|'''[[C. Rangarajan]]''' ({{Abbr|b.|born in}} 1932) [[Governor of Andhra Pradesh]] (Additional Charge)
|style="background:wheat;"|[[Tamil Nadu]]
|style="background:wheat;"|26 February 2001
|style="background:wheat;"|15 March 2001
|style="background:wheat;"|17 days
|rowspan=4|[[K. R. Narayanan]]
|-
!(11)
|[[File:Justice Fathima Beevi.JPG|100px]]
|'''[[M. Fathima Beevi]]''' (1927–2023)
|[[Keralam]]
|16 March 2001
|2 July 2001
|108 days
|-
!style="background:wheat;"|–
|style="background:wheat;"|[[File:The Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Dr. C. Rangarajan addressing a press conference on ‘Economic Review 2012-13’, in New Delhi on April 23, 2013 (cropped).jpg|100px]]
|style="background:wheat;"|'''[[C. Rangarajan]]''' ({{Abbr|b.|born in}} 1932) [[Governor of Andhra Pradesh]] (Additional Charge)
|style="background:wheat;"|[[Tamil Nadu]]
|style="background:wheat;"|3 July 2001
|style="background:wheat;"|17 January 2002
|style="background:wheat;"|198 days
|-
!12
|[[File:P. S. Ramamohan Rao.jpg|100px]]
|'''[[P. S. Ramamohan Rao]]''' ({{Abbr|b.|born in}} 1934)
|[[Andhra Pradesh]]
|18 January 2002
|2 November 2004
|2 years, 289 days
|-
!(8)
|[[File:Surjit Singh Barnala, 2008.png|100px]]
|'''[[Surjit Singh Barnala]]''' (1925–2017)
|[[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
|3 November 2004
|30 August 2011
|6 years, 300 days
|[[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]]
|-
!13
|[[File:K Rosaiah.jpg|100px]]
|'''[[K. Rosaiah]]''' (1933–2021)
|[[Andhra Pradesh]]
|31 August 2011
|2 September 2016
|5 years, 2 days
|[[Pratibha Devisingh Patil]]
|-
!style="background:wheat;"|–
|style="background:wheat;"|[[File:C. Vidyasagar Rao.JPG|159x159px]]
|style="background:wheat;"|'''[[C. Vidyasagar Rao]]''' ({{Abbr|b.|born in}} 1941) [[Governor of Maharashtra]] (Additional Charge)
|style="background:wheat;"|[[Telangana]]
|style="background:wheat;"|2 September 2016
|style="background:wheat;"|5 October 2017
|style="background:wheat;"|1 year, 33 days
|[[Pranab Mukherjee]]
|-
!14
|[[File:Banwarilal Purohit.jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Banwarilal Purohit]]''' ({{Abbr|b.|born in}} 1940)
|[[Rajasthan]]
|6 October 2017
|17 September 2021{{note label|§|§|§}}{{efn-lg|Transferred as the [[Governor of Punjab, India|Governor of Punjab]]}}
|3 years, 346 days
|rowspan=2|[[Ram Nath Kovind]]
|-
!15
|[[File:R. N. Ravi (cropped×2).jpg|137x137px]]
|'''[[R. N. Ravi]]''' ({{Abbr|b.|born in}} 1952)
|[[Bihar]]
|18 September 2021
|11 March 2026{{note label|§|§|§}}{{efn-lg|Transferred as the [[Governor of West Bengal]]}}
|4 years, 174 days
|-
!style="background:wheat;"|–
|style="background:wheat;"|[[File:Rajendra Arlekar, Governor of Kerala.jpg|100px]]
|style="background:wheat;"|'''[[Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar]]''' ({{Abbr|b.|born in}} 1954) [[Governor of Kerala]] (Additional Charge)
|style="background:wheat;"|[[Goa]]
|style="background:wheat;"|12 March 2026
|style="background:wheat;"|''Incumbent''
|style="background:wheat;"|{{age in years and days|2026|03|12}}
|[[Droupadi Murmu]]
|}
{{reflist|group=lower-greek}}

==See also==
*[[History of Tamil Nadu]]
*[[Politics of Tamil Nadu]]
*[[Lok Bhavan, Chennai]]
*[[Elections in Tamil Nadu]]
*[[Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu]]
*[[List of current Indian governors]]
*[[Lok Bhavan, Ooty|Lok Bhavan, Udhagamandalam]]
*[[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
*[[Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu]]
*[[Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
*[[Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
*[[List of leaders of the house in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://tnrajbhavan.gov.in/ Official website of the Governor of Tamil Nadu]

{{Governors of Tamil Nadu}}
{{Current Indian governors}}

[[Category:Governors of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Lists of governors of Indian states]]
[[Category:Tamil Nadu politics-related lists]]

List of governors of Tamil Nadu - Revision history

Pururava at 19:36, 25 March 2026