odisha-guv-raghubar-das-resigns-set-to-re-join-politics

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and incumbent Governor of Odisha Raghubar Das has put in his papers and is likely to re-join active politics. The development has come after BJP’s unprecedented defeat in the Jharkhand Assembly elections.

 

The resignation of Raghubar Das has been accepted by President Droupadi Murmu. The President has appointed Mizoram Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati the new Governor of Odisha.

 

Das was appointed the Governor of Odisha on 18 October 2023. He started his political career from Jamshedpur and was elected the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand, who completed five years’ tenure from 2014 to 2019.

 

In the 2019 elections Raghubar Das lost to rebel MLA Saryu Roy, who rebelled against the BJP.

 

The President also appointed Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan as the new Governor of Bihar. Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has been appointed the new Governor of Kerala.

 

Former Army Chief Vijay Kumar Singh has been appointed the Governor of Mizoram. Former Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla has been appointed as the new Governor of Manipur.

 

The resignation of Raghubar Das is being seen as a new strategy of BJP in Jharkhand. “He has expressed a desire to step down from the Raj Bhawan and reengage in active politics,” said a source close to Das.

 

However, there is still uncertainty about the role the BJP leadership envisions for him. BJP leaders believe he could return to lead the Jharkhand BJP and rejuvenate its state unit, which has been struggling since a crushing defeat in the assembly elections.

 

The BJP’s decision to appoint Das as Odisha’s governor was seen as a move to grant Babulal Marandi greater influence in Jharkhand. Marandi, who merged his party (the JVM) with the BJP in 2020, was unable to wrest control from the JMM-led coalition in the 2024 elections.

 

In light of the BJP’s recent underperformance in the assembly elections, there is growing pressure within the party to focus on consolidating support from Jharkhand’s 74% non-tribal population. The tribal population, which constitutes 26% of the state, largely supported the JMM-led coalition.