Manipur: Newly Appointed Governor Ajay Kumar Balla to Take Oath on January 3

IMPHAL: Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the newly appointed governor of Manipur, will take the oath and assume office on January 3. Bhalla arrived at Imphal Airport on January 2, around 1 pm.

Officials said that Manipur High Court Chief Justice D. Krishnakumar would administer the oath of office and secrecy to Bhalla as the governor at the Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan in Imphal on Friday.

Bhalla, a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, served as the top official of the Ministry of Home Affairs for a long time and has extensive experience dealing with crisis situations in the northeastern region. He was the Union Home Secretary when the ethnic violence between the majority Meitei and minority Koki-Zo community began in Manipur on May 3, 2023.

Bhalla replaces Lakshman Prasad Acharya, who held the Manipur post since July 2023. President Droupadi Murmu had approved the appointment. Apart from Bhalla, other gubernatorial reshuffles had also taken place. 

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, known for his confrontations with the state government, will serve as Bihar's governor. In a corresponding move, Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will take charge in Kerala. In other key appointments, former Army Chief General Vijay Kumar Singh was appointed to serve as Mizoram's governor—his first gubernatorial role.