List of governors of Tamil Nadu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Governor of Tamil Nadu |
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![]() Emblem of Tamil Nadu
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Style | His Excellency |
Reports to | President of India Government of India |
Residence |
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Appointer | President of India |
Term length | At the pleasure of the president
Renewable
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Inaugural holder | Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji (Madras State) Ujjal Singh (Tamil Nadu) |
Formation | 7 September 1948 (as Madras State) 14 January 1969 (as Tamil Nadu) |
Salary | ₹350,000 (US$6,000) (per month) |
The Governor of Tamil Nadu is an important leader in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Think of the Governor as the state's official head, much like the President of India is the head of the entire country.
Governors are chosen by the President of India. They are usually not from the state they are appointed to govern. While the Governor is the official head, the real power to make decisions and run the state belongs to the Chief Minister and their team of ministers.
The person currently serving as Governor is R. N. Ravi. He has been the Governor since September 18, 2021.
Contents
What Does a Governor Do?
A Governor has several important jobs and powers. These powers help them manage the state and make sure things run smoothly.
Executive Powers: Running the State
- The Governor helps with the daily management of the state.
- They approve important appointments, like choosing officials for different government roles.
- They can also remove certain people from their positions if needed.
Legislative Powers: Making Laws
- The Governor plays a role in making laws for the state.
- They work with the state's lawmaking body, which is called the Vidhan Sabha or Vidhan Parishad.
- They can approve or send back laws passed by the state legislature.
Discretionary Powers: Special Decisions
- Sometimes, the Governor has the power to make decisions on their own.
- These are special situations where they can use their judgment without needing advice from the Chief Minister.
Governors of Madras State
Before it was called Tamil Nadu, the state was known as Madras State. Here are some of the people who served as Governor during that time:
Visual Timeline of Madras State Governors

Governors of Tamil Nadu
Madras State officially changed its name to Tamil Nadu on January 14, 1969. "Tamil Nadu" means "Tamil country" in the Tamil language. The Governors of Tamil Nadu have similar powers to the President of India, but they work at the state level. The Governor is the official head, but the Chief Minister and their team hold most of the power to run the state.
No. | Name
(Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Home state | Term of office | Previous post | Appointed by | ||
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Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
1 | Ujjal Singh (1895–1983) |
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Punjab | 14 January 1969 | 25 May 1971 | 2 years, 131 days | Governor of Punjab | Zakir Hussain |
2 | K. K. Shah (1908–1986) |
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Gujarat | 26 May 1971 | 15 June 1976 | 5 years, 20 days | – | Varahagiri Venkata Giri |
3 | Mohan Lal Sukhadia (1916–1982) |
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Rajasthan | 16 June 1976 | 8 April 1977 | 296 days | Governor of Andhra Pradesh | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed |
- | P. Govindan Nair (Unknown–Unknown)(Acting) |
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Kerala | 9 April 1977 | 26 April 1977 | 17 days | – | B. D. Jatti (Acting President) |
4 | Prabhudas B. Patwari (1909–1985) |
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Gujarat | 27 April 1977 | 26 October 1980 | 3 years, 182 days | Indian Lawyer | |
- | M. M. Ismail (1921–2005) (Acting) |
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Tamil Nadu | 27 October 1980 | 3 November 1980 | 37 days | Chief Justice of Madras High Court | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
5 | Sadiq Ali (1910–2001) |
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Rajasthan | 4 November 1980 | 2 September 1982 | 1 year, 302 days | Governor of Maharashtra | |
6 | S. L. Khurana (1918–2007) |
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National Capital Territory of Delhi | 3 September 1982 | 16 February 1988 | 5 years, 166 days | Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry | Giani Zail Singh |
7 | P. C. Alexander (1921–2011) |
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Kerala | 17 February 1988 | 23 May 1990 | 2 years, 95 days | I.A.S. Officer | R. Venkataraman |
8 | Surjit Singh Barnala (1925–2017) |
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Haryana | 24 May 1990 | 14 February 1991 | 266 days | Chief Minister of Punjab | |
9 | Bhishma Narain Singh (1933–2018) |
Rajasthan | 15 February 1991 | 30 May 1993 | 2 years, 104 days | Governor of Assam | ||
10 | M. Channa Reddy (1919–1996) |
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Andhra Pradesh | 31 May 1993 | 2 December 1996 | 3 years, 185 days | Governor of Rajasthan | Shanker Dayal Sharma |
– | Krishan Kant (1927–2002) (Acting) |
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Punjab | 2 December 1996 | 24 January 1997 | 53 days | Governor of Andhra Pradesh | |
11 | M. Fathima Beevi (1927–2023) |
Kerala | 25 January 1997 | 2 July 2001 | 4 years, 158 days | Judge of the Supreme Court of India | ||
- | C. Rangarajan (1932-) (Acting) |
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Tamil Nadu | 3 July 2001 | 17 January 2002 | 198 days | Governor of the Reserve Bank of India | K. R. Narayanan |
12 | P. S. Ramamohan Rao (1934-) |
Andhra Pradesh | 18 January 2002 | 2 November 2004 | 2 years, 289 days | Director General of Andhra Pradesh Police | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | |
(8) | Surjit Singh Barnala (1925–2017) |
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Haryana | 3 November 2004 | 30 August 2011 | 6 years, 300 days | Governor of Andhra Pradesh | |
13 | Konijeti Rosaiah (1933–2021) |
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Andhra Pradesh | 31 August 2011 | 1 September 2016 | 5 years, 1 day | Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh | Pratibha Devisingh Patil |
– | C. Vidyasagar Rao (1942–) |
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Andhra Pradesh | 2 September 2016 | 5 October 2017 | 1 year, 33 days | Governor of Maharashtra | Pranab Mukherjee |
14 | Banwarilal Purohit (1939–) |
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Rajasthan | 6 October 2017 | 17 September 2021 | 3 years, 346 days | Governor of Assam | Ram Nath Kovind |
15 | R. N. Ravi (1952–) |
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Bihar | 18 September 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 311 days | Governor of Nagaland |
- Graphical Timeline of Tamil Nadu Governors

Interesting Facts About Governors
- Surjit Singh Barnala is the only Governor who served two separate terms in office.
- He also holds the record for the longest time as Governor, serving for almost six and a half years (from November 3, 2004, to August 31, 2011).
- The shortest time served by an acting Governor was by M. M. Ismail, who was in office for only nine days.
- C. Vidyasagar Rao served the longest as an additional in-charge Governor, for 1 year, 1 month, and 4 days.
Interesting Facts About Governors
- Surjit Singh Barnala is the only Governor who served two separate times in office. His terms were from May 24, 1990, to February 15, 1991, and again from November 3, 2004, to August 31, 2011.
- The longest time a Governor served was also by Surjit Singh Barnala, for almost six and a half years during his second term.
- The shortest time an acting Governor served was M. M. Ismail, for just nine days, from October 27, 1980, to November 4, 1980.
- The longest time someone served as an additional (temporary) in-charge Governor was C. Vidyasagar Rao, for 1 year, 1 month, and 4 days.
See Also
- Governors of India
- History of Tamil Nadu
- List of chief ministers of Tamil Nadu
- List of colonial governors and presidents of Madras Presidency