Governor of Beltola
| Governor of Beltola बेलटोला के राज्यपाल (Hindi) বেলতলার রাজ্যপাল (Bengali) বেলতলাৰ ৰাজ্যপাল (Assamese) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Style | Her Serene Highness |
| Reports to | Rashtradhyaksh Government of Vishwamitra |
| Appointer | Rashtradhyaksh on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers and the Privy Council |
| Term length | At His Illustrious and Royal Majesty's pleasure |
| Constituting instrument | Governorship Act, 2023 |
| Formation | 18 September 2016(first creation) 17 March 2023 (second creation) |
| First holder | Sanghita Roy (first creation) Prince Abhiraj of Purvanchal (second creation) |
The Governor of Beltola (Hindi: बेलटोला के राज्यपाल) is the vice-regal representative of the Rashtradhyaksh, the federal ruler and the union government in the state and the ceremonial deputy head of state of the state of Beltola who serves as the deputy to the Rajpramukh of Beltola, the hereditary executive ruler of the state. The governor is responsible for assisting the Rajpramukh and the state government in the discharge of the administrative and other functions. The governor is also eligible to act as the head of state in the case of the absence of the Rajpramukh.
The position of the governor first came into existence in 2016 after the creation of the state of South Guwahati. At the time of the first creation, the governor served as the head of state and was responsible for the entire administration of the state. Following Vishwamitra's transition to a monarchy in 2020, the responsibilities rendered by the state governors were transferred to the hereditary rulers known as Rajpramukhs.
In March 2023, the Governorship Bill, 2023 was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Deputy Prime Minister and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Arthur Lacey-Scott and was subsequently passed by the parliament. The bill received royal assent on 17 March 2023 and thus became an act. Soon after receiving assent, following the provisions laid in the act, the governors of the states were appointed. Prince Abhiraj, Senior Prince of Purvanchal who had previously served as the Governor of Beltola was re-appointed to serve as the governor for a second term on 17 March 2023 and has since been serving in office.
History
First creation (2016–2020)
Beltola was created as a state of the union on 18 September 2016 following the introduction of the federal style of administration long with the state of North Guwahati and union territory of Central Guwahati. It was known as "South Guwahati" at the time of its creation and was renamed as "Beltola" on 7 May 2017.
Sanghita Roy was appointed as the first governor of South Guwahati after the state's creation and she remained in office until being removed on 13 November 2016. On 2 February 2020, the role of the governor was replaced by the Governor-General who became the head of the dominion of Beltola. Prior to the appointment of the governor-general, most governors who were appointed were non-local to the state exception to the first office-holder. The position of governor was re-introduced in May 2020.
Beltola was the second most-important state after Purvanchal and the position of the governor was often seen as a lavish position and that of immense prestige for its occupants.
Arnab Deka was the longest serving governor of the state who served in office for 1 year, 214 days. The last office-holder was Reshmi Hazarika who was appointed on 13 May 2020 and ceased office on 8 June 2020.
Second creation (2023–present)
The position of the governor came into existence for the second time in 2023 after the passage of the Governorship Act, 2023 by the Lok Sabha and its receiving royal assent on 17 March 2023. Under the provisions of the act, the governors are to be the vice-regal representative of the Rashtradhyaksh and shall serve as deputy to the hereditary state rulers and act as head of state whenever needed. Prince Abhiraj, Senior Prince of Purvanchal was appointed as the first governor of the state after the position's re-introduction on 17 March 2023.
Functions and role
The governor of Beltola was the head of state of the state of Beltola who served in office on the pleasure of the President who was the appointer. The functions of the governor included:
- discharging the day-to-day affairs of the state.
- maintain law and order and general administration of the state.
- communicate and brief the President about activities in the state.
- appoint the chief minister and other officials upon approval of the President.
Following the re-introduction of the position in March 2023, the functions of the governor have been reduced to largely ceremonial ones. The governor, being the vice-regal representative of the Rashtradhyaksh, shares their duties and functions with the Rajpramukh and performs the functions whenever needed as asked by the Rashtradhyaksh. The principal duty rendered by the governor is to act as a bridge in the communication between the state government and the central government and to relay information to the central government and to convey information from the central government to that of the state.
List
First creation (2017–2020)
- Titles
- 18 September 2016 – 7 May 2017: Governor of South Guwahati
- 7 May 2017 – 2 February 2020: Governor of Beltola
- 3 February – 13 May 2020: Governor-General of Beltola
- 13 May – 7 June 2020: Governor of Beltola
| No. | Portrait | Name (born – died) |
Home state | Tenure in office | Prior positions held | Political party | Appointed by | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Time in office | ||||||||
| 1 (1) |
|
Sanghita Roy संघिता रॉय (born 2003) |
Central Guwahati | 18 September 2016 |
13 November 2016 |
56 days |
|
Secular Party | Tanishkaa Patranabish (President) | |
| First term; Appointed as the inaugural Governor of South Guwahati following the state's creation on 18 September 2016. Continued to serve in office until being dismissed by President Anoushkaa Patranabish on 13 November 2016 on reasons of unannounced absence from position. | ||||||||||
| 2 | 
|
Anirban Phatowali अनिर्बान फतोवाली (born 2009) |
North Guwahati | 13 November 2016 |
27 November 2016 |
14 days | Secular Party | Tanishkaa Patranabish (President) | ||
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Prime Minister's Office at the time of appointment. Appointed to replace Sanghita Roy following her dismissal on 13 November 2016. Continued to serve as the governor until resigning from office thirteen days later on 26 November 2016 to re-join politics. | ||||||||||
| – | .jpg)
|
Sarala Baishya सरला वैश्य PR BR (born 2005) (Administrator) |
Beltola | 27 November 2016 |
13 December 2016 |
16 days |
|
Independent Party | Anoushkaa Patranabish (President) | |
| Served as the Lieutenant Governor of Central Guwahati at the time of appointment. Appointed to serve as the Administrator of Beltola on 27 November 2016 following the resignation of incumbent governor Anirban Phatowali. Continued to hold the additional duties of the head of state of Beltola until being nominated to serve as Acting President following the impeachment of incumbent President Anoushkaa Patranabish on 13 December 2016. | ||||||||||
| 3 (1) |
|
Anoushkaa Patranabish अनुष्का पत्रनाबिश PR PR SR (born 2010) |
Beltola | 13 December 2016 |
30 December 2016 |
17 days |
|
Secular Party | Sarala Baishya (Acting President) | |
| First term; Appointed as the Governor of Beltola for the first time immediately after being replaced as the President following her impeachment on 13 December 2016. Concurrently also held the additional duties of the Administrator of Central Guwahati. Continued to remain in office until resigning from the position on 30 December 2016 after being elected to the Parliament and to serve in the union council of ministers. | ||||||||||
| Position vacant (30 December 2016 – 2 January 2017) | ||||||||||
| 1 (2) |
|
Sanghita Roy संघिता रॉय (born 2003) |
Central Guwahati | 2 January 2017 |
12 April 2017 |
100 days |
|
Secular Party | Sarala Baishya (Acting President) | |
| Second term; Appointed as the Governor of South Guwahati for a second term on 2 January 2017 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Anoushkaa Patranabish. The first and till date the only state legislature election was held during her tenure. Continued to serve in office until being dismissed from the position on 12 April 2017. | ||||||||||
| 3 (2) |
|
Anoushkaa Patranabish अनुष्का पत्रनाबिश PR PR SR (born 2010) |
Beltola | 12 April 2017 |
7 May 2017 |
25 days |
|
Secular Party | Dhrubajyoti Roy (President) | |
| Second term; Appointed as the Governor of South Guwahati for a second term on 12 April 2017 immediately after the resignation of Prime Minister Dhrubajyoti Roy and his cabinet of which she was a member of. Continued to serve as the governor of the state until being transferred and subsequently appointed as the Governor of Brihattar Guwahati on 7 May 2017. | ||||||||||
| 4 | 
|
Kalyan Dey कल्याण दे (born 2001) |
Brihattar Guwahati | 7 May 2017 |
5 July 2017 |
59 days | Freedom Party | Dhrubajyoti Roy (President) | ||
| Governor of Central Guwahati at the time of appointment. Transferred and subsequently appointed as the Governor of Beltola following the state's renaming on 7 May 2017 and to succeed incumbent governor Anoushkaa Patranabish who was transferred as Governor of Brihattar Guwahati. Continued to serve as the governor of the state until being transferred and appointed as the Governor of Uttar Guwahati on 5 July 2017. | ||||||||||
| 5 (1) |
|
Reshmi Hazarika रेशमी हजारिका (born 2003) |
Basistha | 5 July 2017 |
23 April 2018 |
292 days |
|
Independent | Dhrubajyoti Roy (President) | |
| Governor of Madhya Guwahati at the time of appointment. Transferred and subsequently appointed as the Governor of Beltola following a gubernatorial reshuffle on 5 July 2017 in which incumbent state governor Kalyan Dey was transferred and appointed as the Governor of Uttar Guwahati. Also discharged the duties of the Governor of Uttar Guwahati on additional basis twice between 16 and 31 July 2017 and between 25 December 2017 and 23 April 2018, and that of the Administrator of Basistha between 6 to 17 September 2017 during her tenure as the governor of the state. Continued to serve as the state governor until being permanently transferred and subsequently appointed as the Governor of Uttar Guwahati on 23 April 2018. | ||||||||||
| 1 (3) |
|
Sanghita Roy संघिता रॉय (born 2003) |
Madhya Guwahati | 23 April 2018 |
4 February 2019 |
287 days |
|
Secular Party | Anoushkaa Patranabish (President) | |
| Third term; Appointed as the Governor of Beltola for a third term on 23 April 2018 becoming the first and only individual to serve as the governor of the state on three non-consecutive terms. Continued to serve as the governor of the state until retiring upon completion of term on 4 February 2019. After serving three terms in office, she is the longest-serving governor of the state. | ||||||||||
| 6 | 
|
Arnab Deka अर्नब देका (born 2002) |
Uttar Guwahati | 4 February 2019 |
20 July 2019 |
166 days |
|
Secular Party | Dhrubajyoti Roy (President) | |
| Governor of Brihattar Guwahati at the time of appointment. Transferred and subsequently appointed as the Governor of Beltola on 4 February 2019. Continued to serve as the governor of the state until being transferred and subsequently appointed as the Governor of Madhya Guwahati on 20 July 2019. | ||||||||||
| 7 | 
|
Ankurjyoti Thakuria अंकुरज्योति ठाकुरिया (born 2002) |
Kamrup Pradesh | 20 July 2019 |
16 August 2019 |
27 days |
|
Congress | Dhrubajyoti Roy (President) | |
| Governor of Uttar Guwahati at the time of appointment. Transferred and subsequently appointed as the Governor of Beltola on 20 July 2019 to succeed incumbent governor Arnab Deka who was transferred as the Governor of Madhya Guwahati. During the tenure as governor, also held additional duties of the Administrator of Basistha between 31 August and 14 August 2019. Continued to serve as the governor of the state until resigning from office on 16 August 2019 to join the union cabinet. | ||||||||||
| – |
|
Reshmi Hazarika रेशमी हजारिका (born 2003) (Additional charge) |
Basistha | 16 August 2019 |
4 September 2019 |
19 days |
|
Independent | Dhrubajyoti Roy (President) | |
| Additional charge; Governor of Uttaranchal was assigned the additional charge of the Governor of Beltola on 16 August 2019 following the resignation of incumbent governor Ankurjyoti Thakuria. Continued to serve as the interim governor until the permanent appointment of Abhiraj Kar on 4 September 2019. | ||||||||||
| 8 | 
|
Abhiraj Kar अभिराज कर PR (born 2006) |
Madhya Prant | 4 September 2019 |
29 September 2019 |
25 days |
|
Congress | Dhrubajyoti Roy (President) | |
| Served as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Cooperation and Regional Development in the union cabinet prior to being appointed as the governor to succeed Reshmi Hazarika, who held additional charge of the governor of the state. Continued to serve as the governor until resigning from the position on 29 September 2019 to be re-appointed as a minister in the union council of ministers. | ||||||||||
| 9 |
|
Bhargab Jyoti Medhi भार्गब ज्योति मेधी KV PC (born 2001) |
Purvanchal | 29 September 2019 |
4 October 2019 |
126 days |
|
Congress | Dhrubajyoti Roy (President) | |
| 4 October 2019 |
2 February 2020 | |||||||||
| Governor of Uttaranchal was assigned the additional duties of the Governor of Beltola on 29 September 2019 following the resignation of incumbent governor Abhiraj Kar. Continued to hold the additional charge until being transferred and subsequently being appointed as the Governor of Beltola or a fresh term on 4 October 2019. Remained in office until being transferred and appointed as the Governor-General of Beltola on 2 February 2020. | ||||||||||
| Governors-General of Beltola (2 February – 13 May 2020) | ||||||||||
| 10 |
|
Asmi Patranabis अस्मी पत्रनाबिस OC OSM FSR PR (born 2007) |
Beltola | 2 February 2020 |
13 May 2020 |
101 days |
|
Congress | Dhrubajyoti Roy (President) | |
| Governor of Purvanchal at time of appointment. Transferred and subsequently appointed as the first Governor-General of Beltola after changes in the federal structure and the position on 2 February 2020. Subsequently also served as the Lord Administrator of the National Capital Region. Appointed to serve as a nominated member of the 12th Lok Sabha by the President in March 2020. Continued to remain in office until 13 May 2020. | ||||||||||
| Governors of Beltola (13 May – 7 June 2020) | ||||||||||
| 5 (2) |
|
Reshmi Hazarika रेशमी हज़ारिका (born 2003) |
Basistha | 13 May 2020 |
7 June 2020 |
25 days |
|
Independent | Tanishkaa Patranabish (President) | |
| Second term; Governor-General of Uttaranchal at the time of appointment. Transferred and subsequently appointed as the Governor of Beltola for a second term on 13 May 2020. Served as the last governor of the state and the last office-holder prior to the position's abolition on 8 June 2020 following the transition to the monarchy. | ||||||||||
| Position abolished on 8 June 2020 | ||||||||||
Second creation (2023–present)
The position of the Governor of Beltola was re-established by the Governorship Act, 2023 which received royal assent on 17 March 2023. Following the re-introduction of the position, the governor now serves the vice-regal representative of the Rashtradhyaksh of Vishwamitra. The inaugural holder of the office following the re-introduction is Prince Abhiraj, Senior Prince of Purvanchal who has been in office since 17 March 2023.
| No. | Portrait | Name (born – died) |
Home state | Tenure in office | Prior positions held | Appointed by | Rajpramukh | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Time in office | ||||||||
| Governors of Beltola (17 March 2023 – present) | ||||||||||
| 1 |
|
His Serene Highness Dato Sri Utama Prince Abhiraj, Senior Prince of Purvanchal वरिष्ठराजकुमार अभिराज DUK DPP DKI (Purvanchal) DKII (Purvanchal) DKII (Beltola) SUMP DUBM DSUU SUMM DSUK DURD DURK SUDS RSP PRS CSP MP (born 2006) |
Purvanchal | 17 March 2023 |
28 May 2023 |
72 days |
|
Dhrubajyoti Roy (Rashtradhyaksh) |
Tanishkaa Patranabish | |
| Senior Prince of Purvanchal and former acting prime minister. Appointed to serve as the first Governor of Beltola after the position's re-establishment in 2023. Remained in office until resigning from the position on 28 May 2023. | ||||||||||
| 2 | .jpg)
|
Her Serene Highness Datin Sri Utama Princess Bishakha राजकन्या बिशाखा DUK DKI (Purvanchal) DKII (Beltola) SUMP DURD SURK DUMM DURK SPDS TPUP RSP PRS CSP MP (born 2013) |
Purvanchal | 28 May 2023 |
Incumbent | 119 days |
|
Dhrubajyoti Roy (Rashtradhyaksh) |
Tanishkaa Patranabish | |
| Princess of Purvanchal and Governor of Basistha at the time of appointment. Transferred and subsequently appointed as the Governor of Beltola on 28 May 2023 following the resignation of incumbent governor Prince Abhiraj and has since then been in office. | ||||||||||
Trivia
Records
- Sanghita Roy served as the first governor of the state and is also the longest governor with a total of 443 days in office.
- Sanghita Roy holds the record of serving as the governor of the state on three different occasions.
- Two former presidents, Anoushkaa Patranabish and Sarala Baishya served as the governor of the state.
- Anirban Phatowali has the record of being the shortest serving governor of the state, with a term of 14 days in office.
Timeline
Time in office
- Longest serving: Sanghita Roy (443 days)
- Shortest serving: Anirban Phatowali (14 days)
Below is the list of the governors and lieutenant governors of Basistha by total time in office:
- Sanghita Roy – 443 days
- Reshmi Hazarika – 336 days
- Arnab Deka – 166 days
- Bhargab Jyoti Medhi – 126 days
- Asmi Patranabis – 101 days
- Abhiraj Kar – 97 days
- Kalyan Dey – 59 days
- Anoushkaa Patranabish – 42 days
- Ankurjyoti Thakuria – 27 days
- Princess Bishakha – 119 days
- Sarala Baishya (acting) – 16 days
- Anirban Phatowali – 14 days