New Governors for Goa and Haryana; Ladakh gets new Lt. Governor

Former Deputy CM of J&K Kavinder Gupta was appointed L-G of Ladakh; ex-Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju was appointed Goa Governor, and senior BJP leader from West Bengal Ashim Kumar Ghosh appointed Governor of Haryana

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Kavinder Gupta was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh on Monday (July 14, 2025) replacing B.D Mishra, a communication by the President’s Secretariat said. The President has accepted the resignation of Brig. (retd.) Mishra, the statement said.

Former Civil Aviation Minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju was appointed new Governor of Goa and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from West Bengal, Ashim Kumar Ghosh, was appointed new Governor of Haryana.

The appointments will take effect from the dates they will assume charge, the statement said.

Brig. Mishra (87) was appointed to the post on February 12, 2023 on removal of R.K Mathur, a retired bureaucrat.

The fresh appointment of Mr. Gupta comes in the wake of fresh agitation call given by the Ladkh civil society groups on demands for Statehood and constitutional safeguards for the region.

After the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 was read down by the Parliament on August 5, 2019, civil society groups in Ladakh erupted in protests, demanding protection of land, resources and employment.

Mr. Raju, a senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader from Andhra Pradesh, will succeed P.S Sreedharan Pillai as the Goa Governor. Mr. Pillai was sworn in as the Governor of Goa on July 15, 2021.

Mr. Raju (74) served as the Civil Aviation Minister between May 27, 2014 and March 10, 2018 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has also held ministerial posts in the Andhra Pradesh government.

Mr. Gupta belongs to Jammu and he served as the Mayor of Jammu for three consecutive terms from 2005 to 2010. He is also the national executive member of the BJP.

Mr. Ghosh, who headed the party’s West Bengal unit between 1999 and 2002, will succeed Bandaru Dattatreya as Haryana Governor. Former Labour and Employment Minister Mr. Dattatreya assumed charge as Governor of Haryana on July 15, 2021.

Mr. Ghosh was born in 1944 in Howrah. West Bengal. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Vidyasagar College, Kolkata, and later earned a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Calcutta. From 1966 to 2004, he taught Political Science for 38 years. He joined the BJP in 1991 and was a long-time member of the State Intellectual Cell.

In 1996, Mr. Ghosh became the State Secretary of the BJP and in 1998, he was appointed State Vice-President. From 1999 to 2002, he served as the State president of West Bengal BJP. From 2003 to 2005, he held the responsibility of Tripura Observer. He was a member of the BJP National Executive from 2004 to 2006.