Braj Mohan Ram Appointed New Governor of Odisha in Major Gubernatorial Reshuffle

New Delhi / Bhubaneswar, October 12, 2026 – President Droupadi Murmu on Monday appointed Braj Mohan Ram, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and three-time Lok Sabha MP from Jharkhand, as the new Governor of Odisha.

The appointment forms part of a wider reshuffle in which the President named new governors for six states. Braj Mohan Ram will succeed the incumbent Governor, Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati, who had taken charge in January 2025.

According to the official press communiqué issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan, the other appointments include:

– Dr Sudha Yadav as Governor of Karnataka
– Dr Dhal Singh Bisen as Governor of Uttarakhand
– Dushyant Gautam as Governor of Sikkim
– Om Prakash Mathur (currently Governor of Sikkim) transferred as Governor of Kerala
– Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar (currently Governor of Kerala) appointed as Governor of Tamil Nadu

The appointments will take effect from the dates the respective governors assume charge of their offices.

**Profile of the new Governor**

Born on January 1, 1958, in Chandwa (present-day Latehar district) in Palamu, Jharkhand, Braj Mohan Ram began his political career as a Member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly from 1991 to 1995, representing the Chandwa region. He later entered national politics and represented the Palamu Lok Sabha constituency for three consecutive terms (1996, 1998 and 1999) on a BJP ticket.

During his parliamentary tenure, he served on several committees dealing with power, coal, railways and other key sectors. Beyond electoral politics, he has been associated with social activities in the region.

The appointment marks a transition for the veteran leader from active electoral politics to a constitutional role. Odisha’s Raj Bhavan is expected to schedule the formal swearing-in ceremony in the coming days.

The gubernatorial changes come amid the Centre’s periodic review of state governor postings across the country.