Acharya Devvrat Takes Additional Charge As Maharashtra's New Governor

Acharya Devvrat on Monday assumed charge as the new Governor of Maharashtra, becoming the 22nd occupant of Raj Bhavan.

The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan, where Bombay High Court Chief Justice Chandrashekhar administered the oath of office. Mr Devvrat took the oath in Sanskrit.

President Droupadi Murmu had last week appointed Mr Devvrat, who has been serving as Governor of Gujarat since July 2019, to discharge the duties of Maharashtra's Governor in addition to his existing responsibilities.

He succeeds CP Radhakrishnan, a senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu who had been Governor of Maharashtra since July 2024. Mr Radhakrishnan stepped down after being elected Vice-President of India earlier this month.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar congratulated the new Governor after the ceremony. Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, Council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe, senior ministers, top bureaucrats and Indian Navy personnel were present.

A career educationist and social worker, Mr Devvrat, 66, is a former educator and an exponent of naturopathy and yogic science. He has been the Governor of Gujarat since July 2019 and earlier served as Governor of Himachal Pradesh from August 2015 to July 2019. He holds postgraduate degrees in history and Hindi, a B.Ed., a diploma in yoga science and a doctorate in naturopathy and yogic science. Mr Devvrat has been associated with gurukul education and natural-farming initiatives and runs social and educational programmes.  

According to the Raj Bhavan release, Mr Devvrat will continue to discharge the duties of Gujarat's governor while holding the additional charge of Maharashtra until a full-time appointment is made.