List of lieutenant governors of Puducherry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry |
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Emblem of Puducherry
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 Kuniyil Kailashnathan since 7 August 2024 |
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| Style | His Excellency (formal) The Honourable (informal) |
| Reports to | President of India Government of India |
| Residence | Raj Niwas, Puducherry |
| Appointer | President of India on the advice of the Government of India |
| Term length | 5 Years |
| Inaugural holder | S. L. Silam |
| Formation | 14 October 1963 |
Puducherry, once known as "Pondicherry," is a special part of India. It is called a Union Territory. This means the central government of India directly manages its rules and daily life.
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Who Leads Puducherry?
The main leader of Puducherry is the Lieutenant Governor. This person acts like the President of India's representative. Their job is to make sure everything runs smoothly in the Union Territory.
The Lieutenant Governor lives in a special building called the Raj Niwas. This building used to be the palace of the French Governor General. The central government of India also helps a lot with money for Puducherry.
From French Rule to Indian Governance
For a long time, Puducherry was a French settlement. On November 1, 1954, the French areas in India officially became part of India. At this time, a new leader was appointed. This leader was called the Chief Commissioner.
The Chief Commissioner took over from the last French leader. They had similar powers but reported directly to the Indian government. This was an important step in Puducherry becoming fully Indian.
Chief Commissioners (1954 – 1963)
Here is a list of the Chief Commissioners who led Puducherry during this time:
| No. | Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Legal Control |
Actual Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kewal Singh |  |
21 October 1954 | 16 November 1956 | France | France (Until Nov 1 1954) India (Since Nov 1 1954) |
| 2 | M.K. Kripalani | |
17 November 1956 | 27 August 1958 | India | |
| 3 | Lal Ram Saran Singh | |
30 August 1958 | 8 February 1961 | ||
| 4 | Sisir Kumar Dutta | |
2 May 1961 | 1 August 1963 | France (Until Aug 16 1962) India (Since Aug 16 1962) |
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| 5 | K.J. Somasundaram | |
2 August 1963 | 13 October 1963 | India |
The Role of Lieutenant Governor Begins
In 1962, Puducherry officially became a full part of the Indian Union. On July 1, 1963, Puducherry became a Union Territory. At this point, the role of the Chief Commissioner changed to the Lieutenant Governor.
Only a few Lieutenant Governors have served for more than four years. These include S.L. Silam, B.D.Jatti, B.T. Kulkarni, Rajani Rai, and Kiran Bedi. S.L. Silam was the only one to complete a full five-year term. Kiran Bedi is the second longest-serving Lieutenant Governor so far.
Lieutenant Governors of Puducherry
Here is a list of the Lieutenant Governors who have served Puducherry:
| No. | Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S.L. Silam | |
14 Oct 1963 | 13 Oct 1968 | 4 years, 365 days |
| 2 | B.D. Jatti | .png) |
14 Oct 1968 | 7 Nov 1972 | 4 years, 24 days |
| 3 | Chhedilal |  |
8 Nov 1972 | 29 Aug 1976 | 3 years, 295 days |
| 4 | B.T. Kulkarni | |
30 Aug 1976 | 31 Oct 1980 | 4 years, 62 days |
| 5 | Ram Kishore Vyas | |
1 Nov 1980 | 15 Apr 1981 | 165 days |
| - | Sri Sadiq Ali | |
16 Apr 1981 | 26 Jul 1981 | 101 days |
| 6 | R.N. Haldipur | |
27 Jul 1981 | 14 May 1982 | 291 days |
| 7 | K.M. Chandy |  |
15 May 1982 | 5 Aug 1983 | 1 year, 82 days |
| 8 | Kona Prabhakara Rao | |
2 Sep 1983 | 17 Jun 1984 | 289 days |
| - | S.L. Khurana | |
18 Jun 1984 | 30 Sep 1984 | 104 days |
| 9 | Tribhuvan Prasad Tewary | |
1 Oct 1984 | 21 Jun 1988 | 3 years, 264 days |
| 10 | Ranjit Singh Dyal | |
22 Jun 1988 | 19 Feb 1990 | 1 year, 242 days |
| 11 | Chandrawati | |
19 Feb 1990 | 18 Dec 1990 | 302 days |
| 12 | Har Swarup Singh | |
19 Dec 1990 | 05 Feb 1993 | 2 years, 48 days |
| - | Bishma Narain Singh |  |
06 Feb 1993 | 31 May 1993 | 2 years, 84 days |
| - | Marri Channa Reddy | .jpg) |
31 May 1993 | 1 May 1995 | 1 year, 335 days |
| 13 | Rajendra Kumari Bajpai |  |
2 May 1995 | 22 Apr 1998 | 2 years, 355 days |
| 14 | Rajani Rai | |
23 Apr 1998 | 29 Jul 2002 | 4 years, 97 days |
| 15 | K. R. Malkani | |
31 Jul 2002 | 27 Oct 2003 | 1 year, 88 days |
| - | P.S. Rama Mohan Rao | |
27 Oct 2003 | 5 Jan 2004 | 70 days |
| 16 | Nagendra Nath Jha | |
5 Jan 2004 | 6 Jul 2004 | 183 days |
| 17 | M. M. Lakhera | .jpg) |
7 Jul 2004 | 18 Jul 2006 | 2 years, 11 days |
| 18 | Mukut Mithi |  |
19 Jul 2006 | 12 Mar 2008 | 1 year, 237 days |
| 19 | Bhopinder Singh | |
15 Mar 2008 | 22 Jul 2008 | 129 days |
| 20 | Govind Singh Gurjar |  |
23 Jul 2008 | 6 Apr 2009 | 257 days |
| - | Surjit Singh Barnala |  |
9 Apr 2009 | 27 Jul 2009 | 109 days |
| 21 | Iqbal Singh | .jpg) |
27 Jul 2009 | 9 Jul 2013 | 3 years, 347 days |
| 22 | Virendra Kataria |  |
10 Jul 2013 | 11 Jul 2014 | 1 year, 1 day |
| 23 | A. K. Singh | .jpg) |
12 Jul 2014 | 26 May 2016 | 1 year, 319 days |
| 24 | Kiran Bedi | .jpg) |
28 May 2016 | 16 Feb 2021 | 4 years, 264 days |
| - | Tamilisai Soundararajan (additional charge) |
.jpg) |
18 Feb 2021 | 18 March 2024 | 3 years, 30 days |
| - | C.P. Radhakrishnan (additional charge) |
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20 March 2024 | 6 August 2024 | 134 days |
| 25 | Kuniyil Kailashnathan | |
7 August 2024 | Incumbent | 324 days |
