BJP leaders named governors in four states

Four prominent BJP leaders were Tuesday named governors in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa, with C. Vidyasagar Rao from Telangana taking charge in election-bound Maharashtra.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh was named governor of Rajasthan, Gujarat assembly Speaker Vajubhai Radabhai Vala took charge of Karnataka while Mridula Sinha, also a leading writer, moved into Goa.

Kalyan Singh succeeds Margaret Alva whose tenure ended Aug 5. Vala took the place of H.R. Bharadwaj, who retired in June. B.V. Wanchoo and K. Sankaranarayanan quit as governors of Goa and Maharashtra respectively.

The 82-year-old Kalyan Singh is a veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader who presided over Uttar Pradesh when the Babri Masjid was razed in 1992.

A committed RSS activist, Kalyan Singh parted ways with the BJP following differences with former prim minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He returned for a second time to the party just before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Vala, 76, is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He began his political career with the erstwhile Jana Sangh. At one time he was a contender for the post of Gujarat chief minister.

A well known writer in Hindi, Mridula Sinha is a former national president of the BJP's Mahila Moracha. She is a past chairperson of the National Commission for Women.

Hailing from Karimnagar district of Telangana, Vidyasagar Rao served as a union minister of state for home in the Vajpayee government.

The 73-year-old was also the BJP president in united Andhra Pradesh and was elected to the Lok Sabha twice from Karimnagar. He was defeated in the 2014 general election. - IANS