Ajay Kumar Bhalla, former Home Secretary of India, has been appointed as the new Governor of Manipur, replacing Lakashman Prasad Acharya, who had taken office on July 31, 2024. The announcement, made through an official notification on Tuesday, comes as the northeastern state continues to grapple with ethnic violence that has persisted since May 2023.

A retired IAS officer of the 1984 batch from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, Bhalla served as India's Home Secretary for nearly five years until August 2024. Hailing from Jalandhar, Punjab, Bhalla's appointment is seen as a crucial move to address the volatile situation in the state.

In other gubernatorial changes, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has been reassigned to Bihar, while Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the outgoing Governor of Bihar, will now serve as Kerala Governor. Both appointments come amid ongoing differences between Khan and the Kerala state government on various issues.

Additionally, President Droupadi Murmu has accepted the resignation of Raghubar Das as the Governor of Odisha. Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, previously the Governor of Mizoram, has been appointed in Das’s place.

General Dr. Vijay Kumar Singh, a former Army Chief and former Union Minister, has been appointed as the Governor of Mizoram. This marks Singh's first tenure as a state Governor. He previously served as a Member of Parliament from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, from 2014 to 2024 and was part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet.

The appointments, approved by President Murmu, will take effect once the respective Governors assume charge of their roles.