Sikkim: Veteran BJP Leader, Ex-RSS Pracharak Appointed As New Governor

Om Prakash Mathur, a seasoned BJP leader from Rajasthan, has been appointed as the new Governor of Sikkim. Mathur has a notable political career, having served as the party’s state president and a Rajya Sabha MP. Currently, a national vice-president of the BJP, he announced his retirement from active politics following his new appointment.

At 72 years old, Mathur hails from Bali in Rajasthan’s Pali district and previously worked as a pracharak for the BJP’s ideological parent organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He was mentored by former Vice President and BJP leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and has held the position of general secretary in charge of the Gujarat BJP. Mathur played a significant role in the BJP’s resurgence in Rajasthan last year and was considered a potential Chief Minister before the party selected Bhajanlal Sharma for the role.

The Rajasthan Chief Minister congratulated OP Mathur on the new role. “I firmly believe your able guidance and leadership will put Sikkim on the path of good governance and set new standards,” Mr Sharma said in a post on X.

As Mr. Mathur assumes the role of Governor of Sikkim, Lakshman Prasad Acharya, the outgoing Governor, has been appointed as the Governor of Assam, with the additional responsibility for Manipur.

President Droupadi Murmu has announced several other Governor appointments.

Gulab Chand Kataria, the current Governor of Assam, has been reassigned to Punjab and also appointed as the Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde has been named the Governor of Rajasthan, Jishnu Dev Varma of Telangana, and Santosh Kumar Gangwar of Jharkhand. Raman Deka has been appointed as the Governor of Chhattisgarh, and CH Vijayashankar as the Governor of Meghalaya.

CP Radhakrishnan, who was serving as the Governor of Jharkhand with additional responsibility for Telangana, has been appointed as the Governor of Maharashtra.