Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi, whose four-year tenure witnessed a turbulent period marked by frequent confrontations with the state government, has been transferred to West Bengal. He had assumed office as the Governor of Tamil Nadu on September 18, 2021.
A press release from Rashtrapati Bhavan said that Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the Governor of Kerala, will discharge the functions of the Governor of Tamil Nadu.
Arlekar is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party from Goa with decades of experience in state politics. He has served multiple terms in the Goa Legislative Assembly and held key positions including Speaker of the Goa Assembly and Leader of the Opposition.
Sources said Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has been informed by the Union government about the change.
Ravi's transfer was also mentioned by Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, in a post on X on Thursday (March 5, 2026).
Before his current assignment in Kerala, Arlekar served as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh from 2021 to 2023.
His additional responsibility in Tamil Nadu comes at a time when the state has been witnessing constitutional friction between the Raj Bhavan and the elected government.
