CHENNAI: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Chennai, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was on Monday (October 12) appointed the full-time Governor of Tamil Nadu, ending the additional-charge arrangement that began in March following the transfer of R N Ravi to West Bengal.

The appointment, announced as part of a six-state gubernatorial reshuffle by President Droupadi Murmu, comes against the backdrop of the new TVK government’s evolving relationship with the BJP-led Centre.

Arlekar, who was serving as Governor of Keralam while discharging the functions of Tamil Nadu Governor, will be succeeded in Keralam by Om Prakash Mathur, the Governor of Sikkim. Dushyant Gautam has been appointed Governor of Sikkim.

The other appointments are Braj Mohan Ram as Governor of Odisha, Sudha Yadav as Governor of Karnataka and Dhal Singh Bisen as Governor of Uttarakhand. The appointments will take effect when the appointees assume charge.

Arlekar’s tenure in Tamil Nadu began at a politically sensitive juncture. Following the Assembly election results in May, he sought documentary proof of majority support from TVK president C Joseph Vijay before inviting him to form the government. The party, which emerged as the single largest force with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, initially fell short of the 118 required for a majority.

After securing the support of other parties, Vijay was invited to form the government.

A BJP veteran, Arlekar has served as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Keralam. His appointment now formalises his role in Tamil Nadu’s constitutional administration.