Rajendra Arlekar (born 23 April 1954) is an Indian statesman who is serving as the 23rd Governor of Kerala.[2] He previously served was the 29th Governor of Bihar.[3] and the 21st Governor of Himachal Pradesh, being the first person serving as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh from Goa. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Goa and a former speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly. He is a leader of BJP.
Early life
Arlekar was born on 23 April 1954 at Panaji, Goa, to Vishwanath Arlekar and Tilomattama. He did his schooling at St. Joseph’s Institute, Vasco Da Gama, and completed his degree in commerce from MES College, Vasco Da Gama.[4]
Arlekar is married to Anagha Arlekar and has two children.[5]
Political career
Arlekar has been associated with the RSS since his childhood. He joined the BJP in 1989. He has been an active member of the Goa BJP since the 1980s. He has held various positions which include the following: General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party, Goa Pradesh. Chairman, Goa Industrial Development Corporation. Chairman, Goa State SC and OBC Financial Development Corporation. General Secretary, BJP, Goa. South Goa President, BJP.
When Manohar Parrikar was roped in as the Union Defence Minister in 2014, Arlekar was considered for the next Chief Minister but the Party chose Laxmikant Parsekar as the next Chief Minister instead.
He is credited with making Goa Legislative Assembly paperless, the first state assembly to do so.
In 2015, he was appointed the Minister for Environment and Forests during the reshuffling of the cabinet.
On 6 July 2021, he was appointed Himachal Pradesh's Governor when the incumbent Bandaru Dattatreya was made the governor of Haryana. Arlekar thanked the Party and stated that BJP is a Party where the work of each and every member is recognized. He was then appointed as the 29th Governor of Bihar and On 24 December 2024 he was appointed as the 23rd Governor of Kerala.[6][7]
References
- ^ Shetye, Murari (1 October 2015). "Pernem MLA Rajendra Arlekar takes oath as minister". Times of India. TNN. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "Rajendra Arlekar is new Kerala Governor; Arif Mohammed Khan moved to Bihar". Onmanorama. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ "New Bihar governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar takes oath". The Hindu. 17 February 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Governor of Bihar, Former Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Arlekar". Rajendra Arlekar.
- ^ "Governor of Bihar, Former Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Arlekar". Rajendra Arlekar.
- ^ "Ex-Goa Speaker Rajendra Arlekar is new Himachal Governor". Lokmat English. IANS. 6 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- ^ https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/kerala-odisha-bihar-manipur-new-governors-1.10194299
