List of governors of Karnataka facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor of Karnataka
Emblem of Karnataka
Incumbent Thawar Chand Gehlot since 11 July 2021
Style	Hon’ble Governor (Within India (English) His/Her Excellency (Outside India) Rajyapaal Mahodaya
Residence	Raj Bhavan, Bengaluru
Appointer	President of India
Term length	At the pleasure of the president
Precursor	Governor of Mysore
Inaugural holder	Mohan Lal Sukhadia
Formation	1 November 1956 (68 years ago) (1956-11-01) (as Mysuru State) 1 November 1973 (51 years ago) (1973-11-01) (as Karnataka State)

The Governor of Karnataka is a very important person in the Indian state of Karnataka. They are like the official head of the state, chosen by the President of India. The Governor's job is to make sure the state government follows the rules of the Constitution of India.

Even though the Governor is the official head, they usually act on the advice of the state's elected leaders, especially the Chief Minister and their team of ministers. However, the Governor also has some special powers. For example, they can decide who becomes a minister or suggest that the central government take over the state's rule in certain situations. Sometimes, these special powers have led to disagreements between the Governor and the elected Chief Minister.

Since 1956, eighteen different people have served as Governor. The state was first known as Mysore, and its name changed to Karnataka on November 1, 1973. The very first Governor was Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar. Many Governors have been politicians, while others have been government officials. Interestingly, V. V. Giri later became the fourth President of India, and Gopal Swarup Pathak became the country's fourth Vice President. Also, Smt V. S. Ramadevi was the first and only woman Governor of Karnataka, serving from 1999 to 2002. She was also the first woman to lead India's election commission.

Who is the Governor of Karnataka?

The Governor of Karnataka is the official representative of the President of India in the state. They are appointed by the President and serve as long as the President wishes. This means they don't have a fixed term like elected officials.

What Does the Governor Do?

The Governor has several important roles:

• Head of State: They are the formal head of the state government. All official decisions are made in their name.
• Following Advice: Most of the time, the Governor follows the advice of the Chief Minister and the council of ministers, who are elected by the people.
• Special Powers: The Governor can use their own judgment in some situations. This includes appointing or removing ministers, recommending "President's rule" (where the central government takes control if there's a crisis), or holding back new laws for the President's approval.

List of Governors of Karnataka

Here is a list of the people who have served as Governor of Mysore State and later Karnataka.

No.	Name (born – died)	Portrait	Home state	Time in Office			What they did before	Appointed by (President)
				From	To	Total Time
Governors of Mysore State
1	Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (1919–1974)		Karnataka	1 November 1956	4 May 1964	7 years, 185 days	Ruler of Mysore State	Rajendra Prasad
2	S. M. Shrinagesh (1903–1977)		Maharashtra	4 May 1964	2 April 1965	333 days	Governor of Andhra Pradesh	Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
3	V. V. Giri (1894–1980)		Orissa	2 April 1965	13 May 1967	2 years, 41 days	Governor of Uttar Pradesh
4	G. S. Pathak (1896–1982)		Uttar Pradesh	13 May 1967	30 August 1969	2 years, 109 days	Union Minister of Law and Justice
–	Justice A. R. Somanath Iyer Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court (Acting)		Tamil Nadu	30 August 1969	23 October 1969	54 days	Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court	V. V. Giri
5	Dharma Vira (1906–2000)		Uttar Pradesh	23 October 1969	1 February 1972	2 years, 101 days	Governor of West Bengal
6	Mohan Lal Sukhadia (1916–1982)		Rajasthan	1 February 1972	31 October 1973	1 year, 272 days	Chief Minister of Rajasthan
Governors of Karnataka
(6)	Mohan Lal Sukhadia (1916–1982)		Rajasthan	1 November 1973	10 January 1976	2 years, 70 days	Governor of Mysore State	V. V. Giri
7	Uma Shankar Dikshit (1901–1991)		Uttar Pradesh	10 January 1976	2 August 1977	1 year, 204 days	Union Minister for Home Affairs	Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
8	Govind Narain (1916–2012)		Uttar Pradesh	2 August 1977	15 April 1983	6 years, 256 days	Member of Andhra Pradesh Administration Tribunal	B. D. Jatti (acting)
9	Ashoknath Banerji (1929–2006)		West Bengal	16 April 1983	25 February 1988	4 years, 315 days	Governor of Himachal Pradesh	Zail Singh
10	Pendekanti Venkatasubbaiah (1921–1993)		Andhra Pradesh	26 February 1988	5 February 1990	1 year, 344 days	Governor of Bihar	Ramaswamy Venkataraman
–	Justice S. Mohan Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court (Acting)		Tamil Nadu	5 February 1990	8 May 1990	92 days	Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court
11	Bhanu Pratap Singh (1917–?)		Uttar Pradesh	8 May 1990	6 January 1991	243 days
12	Khurshed Alam Khan (1919–2013)		Uttar Pradesh	6 January 1991	2 December 1999	8 years, 330 days	Governor of Goa
13	V. S. Ramadevi (1934–2013)		Andhra Pradesh	2 December 1999	20 February 2002	2 years, 80 days	Governor of Himachal Pradesh	K. R. Narayanan
14	T. N. Chaturvedi (1928–2020)		Uttar Pradesh	21 August 2002	20 August 2007	4 years, 364 days	Member, Joint Committee on Installation of Portraits and statues of National Leaders and Parliamentarians in Parliament House	A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
15	Rameshwar Thakur (1925–2015)		Jharkhand	21 August 2007	24 June 2009	1 year, 307 days	Governor of Andhra Pradesh	Pratibha Patil
16	H. R. Bhardwaj(1939–2020)		Punjab	24 June 2009	29 June 2014	5 years, 5 days	Union Minister of Law and Justice
–	K. Rosaiah (1933–2021) (Additional charge)		Andhra Pradesh	29 June 2014	31 August 2014	63 days	Governor of Tamil Nadu	Pranab Mukherjee
17	Vajubhai Vala (born 1937)		Gujarat	1 September 2014	10 July 2021	6 years, 312 days	Speaker of Gujarat Legislative Assembly
18	Thawar Chand Gehlot (born 1948)		Madhya Pradesh	11 July 2021	Incumbent	4 years, 15 days	Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment	Ram Nath Kovind