Srinagar, Mar 06 (KNO): The appointment of Kavinder Gupta, former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh has generated significant interest in the Union Territory. Very few people, however, know that four other natives of J&K have previously served as Governors in different states across the country.
According to details collected by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) from multiple sources, the number of persons from J&K who have held the office of Governor has now risen to five with Gupta’s appointment.
Mohammad Shafi Qureshi
Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, a politician, served as Governor of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh during the 1990s. He held the office of Governor of Bihar for two years and 147 days (March 19, 1991 – August 13, 1993) and Madhya Pradesh for four years and 301 days (June 24, 1993 – April 21, 1998). He also held the additional charge of Governor of Uttar Pradesh for 77 days (May 3, 1996 – July 19, 1996).
DD Thakur
Devi Das Thakur, former Deputy Chief Minister, served as Governor of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh for less than a year. He held the office of Governor of Assam for 319 days (May 2, 1990 – March 17, 1991) and Arunachal Pradesh for 312 days (May 8, 1990 – March 16, 1991).
Babu Parmanand
Babu Parmanand, a minister in the erstwhile state as well as Speaker of the Assembly, was Governor of Haryana for four years and 12 days (June 9, 2000 - July 1, 2004).
Om Prakash Malhotra
General Om Prakash Malhotra, former Army Chief, was born in Srinagar and received his early education in the summer capital. He served as Governor of Punjab for 232 days (December 18, 1990 – August 7, 1991) and simultaneously held the charge of Administrator of Chandigarh for the same period.
Kavinder Gupta
Kavinder Gupta, former Deputy Chief Minister, is the latest addition to the list of Governors from J&K. During the PDP–BJP rule, Gupta also served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly—(KNO)