Meghalaya: Brig. BD Mishra sworn in as new state's Governor

 Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brig. BD Mishra (retired) on October 4 took oath as Governor of Meghalaya after his predecessor Satya Pal Malik retired on October 3.

Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court Sanjib Banerjee administered the oath of office to the Governor at Raj Bhavan.

On October 1, Mishra was given additional charge of Meghalaya as incumbent Satya Pal Malik completes his term on October 3, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

"The President of India has been pleased to appoint Brig. (Dr.) B.D. Mishra (Retd.), Governor of Arunachal Pradesh to discharge the functions of the Governor of Meghalaya, in addition to his own duties from the date he assumes charge of the office of the Governor of Meghalaya until regular arrangements are made,'' an official statement said. 

''The tenure of Satya Pal Malik, Governor of Meghalaya is going to be completed on 03.10.2022,'' it added.

On September 30, Malik refuted all the claims about joining any political party or participating in elections after stepping down from his current position.

"I have no plans as of now. I will only participate in events that are linked to farmers. I will not join a political party or run for office," he told reporters.

Following an advertisement that showed that he will participate in a 'Kisan Sammelan' in the Shamli district on October 3 and share the platform with RLD chairman Jayant Chaudhary, people were speculating that the senior leader might join the RLD.

"The Shamli meeting was supposed to be a non-political one convened for the sake of farmers. But it has been cancelled in view of Section 144 there," he had clarified.

It is worth mentioning that despite being governor, Malik was in the headline for extending his support to protesting farmers against the Centre's three agricultural laws and for putting the government on trial.

On September 30, 2017, Malik was named governor of Bihar. In August 2018, he was transferred to Jammu and Kashmir, and in 2020, to Meghalaya.

He was born on July 24, 1946, in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat area, and has worked for the Bharatiya Kranti Dal, the Congress, the Janata Dal, the Lok Dal, and the Samajwadi Party before joining the BJP.

He was elected MP from the Aligarh parliamentary constituency in 1989 and a Rajya Sabha member from 1980 to 1989.