In the present times, morality and politics seem to be inversely proportional. It would be a complete waste of time to lament upon the falling principles of the former in the political space.
Ideals enshrined in the Sarkaria Commission underscore who and under what circumstances can be made the governor.
The commission recommended that a governor should not be a resident of the state concerned, and should be an eminent personality from a given field.
The report also suggests that they should not continue to have a direct connection with politics, and notably, they cannot continue to be a member or connected to the ruling party of the state.
The political space of our country has given ample situations which do not coincide with the rules of the Commission.
In several instances, those having connected to politics in the past have held the position of the governor of the state.
The most recent development in this regard is the one concerning Tamilisai Soundararajan.
She was the Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry but resigned from both positions with the ulterior motive of returning to politics.
Soundarajan, like several others — Gulab Chand Kataria (Governor of Assam), Rajendra Arlekar (Governor of Bihar), PS Sreedharan Pillai (Governor of Goa), Bandaru Dattatreya (Governor of Haryana), CP Radhakrishnan (Governor of Jharkhand), Arif Mohammad Khan (Governor of Kerala), Anandiben Patel (Governor of Uttar Pradesh) and so on — was associated with politics before being elevated to the post of a Governor.
She was a member of the BJP and held the position of the state unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Tamil Nadu. Reports claim that she might contest the general elections from Tamil Nadu or Puducherry on BJP’s ticket.
The governor is the chief executive head of the state whose position is expected to be neutral.
Since they are appointed by the Union government, in most cases, governors are considered to be the spokespersons of the ruling party at the Centre.
States, namely, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Delhi have tried to contain the power of the governors to restrict their influence on the respective governments.
Recently, in November 2023, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud remarked by rebuking the governors of Punjab and Tamil Nadu for their delay in approving crucial bills of the state governments.
Such tussles between the state governments and governors have raised questions on the need for this position to uphold the doctrines of the Constitution.
Nonetheless, the process of abolishing the position of governor will be a move to ponder upon as that would require significant constitutional jerks.
Moreover, Soundarajan’s prerogative in quitting the post of Governor to contest the election has raised eyebrows.
While there is no restriction for an erstwhile governor to contest polls, the journey from being the head of a state’s executive to becoming a parliamentarian not only sounds odd but also appears like a demotion.
Additionally, if Soundarajan is elected to the Lok Sabha then she will unequivocally script history by being the first former governor who returned to active politics.
Follow us
