List of governors of Goa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor of Goa
Emblem of Goa
Incumbent Ashok Gajapathi Raju since 26 July 2025
Style	His Excellency
Residence	Raj Bhavan, Goa, Panaji
Appointer	President of India
Term length	At the pleasure of the president
Precursor	Lieutenant Governor of Goa, Daman and Diu
Inaugural holder	Gopal Singh
Formation	30 May 1987; 38 years ago (1987-05-30)

The Governor of Goa is like the main representative of the President of India in the Indian state of Goa. They are the official head of the state, even though the Chief Minister and their team usually handle the day-to-day running of the government.

The President of India chooses the Governor for a period of five years. Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju became the 20th Governor of Goa on July 26, 2025.

Understanding the Governor's Role

The Governor of Goa has important duties and powers that help the state run smoothly. These powers are divided into different types.

Executive Powers: Managing the State

Executive powers mean the Governor helps manage the state's administration. This includes:

• Making sure the government works properly.
• Appointing important officials.
• Removing certain people from their positions if needed.

Legislative Powers: Making Laws

Legislative powers are about lawmaking. The Governor plays a part in the state's lawmaking body, which is called the Vidhan Sabha (State Legislative Assembly).

• They can call for meetings of the Vidhan Sabha.
• They can approve or reject new laws passed by the assembly.

Discretionary Powers: Special Decisions

Discretionary powers allow the Governor to make certain decisions on their own, without needing advice from the state government. These powers are used in special situations, like when there's a political crisis.

Other Important Roles of the Governor

The Governor also holds several other important positions automatically, just by being the Governor. These are called ex officio powers.

• Head of Goa University: The Governor is the Chancellor of Goa University. This means they are the main leader of the university and have powers given to them by the Goa University Act.
• President of Red Cross Society: They are the ex officio president of the Indian Red Cross Society, Goa Branch. This charity helps people in need. The Governor can appoint its leaders.
• Head of Environment Council: The Governor leads the Goa State Environment Protection Council. This group advises the government on protecting Goa's environment and nature. It includes government officials and groups working on environmental issues.
• Chairman of Ex-Servicemen Fund: They are the chairman of a special fund that helps former soldiers and the widows of soldiers.

Goa's Journey: From Union Territory to State

Before May 30, 1987, Goa was not a full state. It was a union territory along with Daman and Diu. A union territory is directly governed by the central government of India. During this time, Goa had a Lieutenant Governor instead of a full Governor.

Lieutenant Governors of Goa, Daman and Diu

Here is a list of the Lieutenant Governors who served Goa, Daman and Diu before Goa became a state:

#	Name	Portrait	Took office	Left office
1	Kunhiraman Palat Candeth	Kunhiraman Palat Candeth	19 December 1961	6 June 1962
2	Tumkur Sivasankar	No image available	7 June 1962	1 September 1963
3	M. R. Sachdev	No image available	2 September 1963	8 December 1964
4	Hari Sharma	No image available	12 December 1964	23 February 1965
5	K. R. Damle	No image available	24 February 1965	17 April 1967
6	Nakul Sen	No image available	18 April 1967	15 November 1972
7	S. K. Banerji	No image available	16 November 1972	15 November 1977
8	P. S. Gill	No image available	16 November 1977	30 March 1981
9	Jagmohan	Jagmohan	31 March 1981	29 August 1982
10	Idris Hasan Latif	Idris Hasan Latif	30 August 1982	23 February 1983
11	K. T. Satarawala	No image available	24 February 1983	3 July 1984
12	Idris Hasan Latif	Idris Hasan Latif	4 July 1984	23 September 1984
13	Gopal Singh	No image available	24 September 1984	29 May 1987

Governors of Goa: Since Statehood

Goa became a full-fledged state of India on May 30, 1987. Since then, it has had its own Governors. Sometimes, a Governor from another state might take on an "additional charge" for Goa, meaning they temporarily look after Goa too.

#	Name	Portrait	Took office	Left office	Duration	Home State	Appointed by
1	Gopal Singh	No image available	30 May 1987	17 July 1989	2 years, 48 days	Punjab	Zail Singh
2	Khurshed Alam Khan	Khurshed Alam Khan	18 July 1989	17 March 1991	1 year, 242 days	Uttar Pradesh	R. Venkataraman
3	Bhanu Prakash Singh	Bhanu Prakash Singh	18 March 1991	3 April 1994	3 years, 16 days	Madhya Pradesh
4	B. Rachaiah	No image available	4 April 1994	3 August 1994	121 days	Karnataka	Shankar Dayal Sharma
5	Gopala Ramanujam	No image available	4 August 1994	15 June 1995	315 days	Tamil Nadu
6	Romesh Bhandari	Romesh Bhandari	16 June 1995	18 July 1996	1 year, 32 days	Punjab
7	P.C. Alexander	No image available	19 July 1996	15 January 1998	1 year, 180 days	Kerala
8	T. R. Satish Chandran	No image available	16 January 1998	18 April 1998	92 days	Karnataka	K. R. Narayan
9	J. F. R. Jacob	J. F. R. Jacob	19 April 1998	26 November 1999	1 year, 221 days	West Bengal
10	Mohammed Fazal	No image available	26 November 1999	25 October 2002	2 years, 333 days	Uttar Pradesh
11	Kidar Nath Sahani	No image available	26 October 2002	2 July 2004	1 year, 250 days	British India	A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
–	Mohammed Fazal	No image available	3 July 2004	16 July 2004	13 days	Uttar Pradesh
12	S. C. Jamir	S. C. Jamir	17 July 2004	21 July 2008	4 years, 4 days	Nagaland
13	Shivinder Singh Sidhu	Shivinder Singh Sidhu	22 July 2008	26 August 2011	3 years, 35 days	Not Known	Pratibha Patil
14	K. Sankaranarayanan	K. Sankaranarayanan	27 August 2011	3 May 2012	250 days	Kerala
15	Bharat Vir Wanchoo	Bharat Vir Wanchoo	4 May 2012	4 July 2014	2 years, 61 days	Madhya Pradesh
16	Margaret Alva	Margaret Alva	12 July 2014	5 August 2014	24 days	Karnataka	Pranab Mukherjee
–	Om Prakash Kohli	Om Prakash Kohli	6 August 2014	25 August 2014	19 days	National Capital Territory of Delhi
17	Mridula Sinha	Mridula Sinha	26 August 2014	2 November 2019	5 years, 68 days	Bihar
18	Satyapal Malik	Satyapal Malik	3 November 2019	18 August 2020	289 days	Uttar Pradesh	Ramnath Kovind
–	Bhagat Singh Koshyari	Bhagat Singh Koshyari	18 August 2020	6 July 2021	322 days	Uttarakhand
19	P. S. Sreedharan Pillai	P. S. Sreedharan Pillai	7 July 2021	25 July 2025	4 years, 19 days	Kerala
20	Ashok Gajapathi Raju	Ashok Gajapathi Raju	26 July 2025	Incumbent	29 days	Andhra Pradesh	Droupadi Murmu

See also

• History of Goa
• Governors of India