Om Prakash Mathur sworn in as the 29th Governor of Keralam – oath by Kerala High Court Chief Justice Soumen Sen
23-10-2026 · English
Topics: Sports, Governance, Health & Awards · 23 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)
News
Om Prakash Mathur took oath as the 29th Governor of Keralam at noon on Friday, 23 Oct 2026, at the Lok Bhavan auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala High Court Chief Justice Soumen Sen administered the oath. It is one of six Governor appointments made by President Droupadi Murmu on 12 Oct 2026. His predecessor, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, has moved to Tamil Nadu as full-time Governor. Mathur was earlier Governor of Sikkim (from July 2024).
Key facts
| Oath | 23 Oct 2026 – Lok Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Oath by | Kerala HC Chief Justice Soumen Sen |
| Number | 29th Governor of Keralam |
| Predecessor | Rajendra V. Arlekar (2 Jan 2025 – Oct 2026) → Governor of Tamil Nadu |
| Profile | Born 2 Jan 1952, Bedal village, Pali district (Rajasthan); RSS pracharak; Rajasthan BJP president (2008–09); Rajya Sabha MP (2008–14, 2016–22) |
| Previous post | 18th Governor of Sikkim (from 31 July 2024) |
Background
- Governor – Constitution: Art 153 (a Governor for each State), 154 (State executive power vested in Governor), 155 (appointed by the President), 159 (oath before the High Court Chief Justice). Art 167 – the Chief Minister must communicate Cabinet decisions on administration and legislative proposals to the Governor and furnish information he calls for (Art 78 is the PM's counterpart). Art 174 – summoning and proroguing the Legislature and dissolving the Assembly.
- Formation of Kerala: under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, Kerala was formed on 1 Nov 1956 by joining Travancore-Cochin, Malabar district of Madras State and the Kasaragod area of South Canara. By the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Act 2026 its official name became 'Keralam' from 25 Aug 2026.
- Kerala Governors – highlights: first Governor P.S. Rao (acting, 1956); V.V. Giri (1960–65) later became President; former CJI P. Sathasivam (2014–19) – first ex-CJI to become a Governor; Arif Mohammed Khan (2019–2025).
Tamil Nadu link: (1) Former Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam hails from Kadappanallur near Bhavani, Erode district; he was India's 40th Chief Justice (2013–14). (2) Kerala's first woman Governor, Jothi Venkatachalam (1977–82), was Madras State's first woman minister (Rajaji Cabinet, 1953). (3) In the 1956 reorganisation, the Thovalai, Agastheeswaram, Kalkulam and Vilavancode taluks of Travancore-Cochin joined Madras State as Kanyakumari district. (4) Previous Kerala Governor Arlekar is now Tamil Nadu's full-time Governor.
Source: Deccan Chronicle, Kerala Kaumudi, Devdiscourse (Oct 2026); News On AIR, Outlook (12 Oct 2026); Wikipedia – List of Governors of Kerala
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