Kolkata: Bengal’s governor-designate R N Ravi reached the city on Wednesday evening. His swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to be held on Thursday at 11.30am at Raj Bhavan. CM Mamata Banerjee is expected to attend along with senior cabinet ministers and bureaucrats, according to Nabanna sources. Assembly speaker Biman Banerjee is also likely to attend, and an invitation has been sent to leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari.Ravi was received at the Kolkata airport by chief secretary Nandini Chakravorty and DGP Peeyush Pandey. He was later escorted to Raj Bhavan. Former deputy NSA Ravi is the third ex-IPS officer to become the governor of Bengal. Previously, ex-NSA M K Narayanan served as governor from Jan 2010 to June 2014, and before him, T V Rajeswar, a former IB chief, held the post from 1989 to 1990.Poll experts said Ravi’s arrival at Raj Bhavan, following the sudden resignation of C V Ananda Bose ahead of the Bengal assembly elections, could be significant. Ravi served at the Chennai Raj Bhavan for 54 months, a period he described as the “golden days” of his life. Prior to his tenure in Tamil Nadu, he was the governor of Nagaland between 2019 and 2021.On Wednesday, former governor Bose described Ravi as a “very competent person” and said adopting a “middle path” would be the best approach when dealing with a politically sensitive state like Bengal. Speaking to PTI before leaving for New Delhi, Bose described Ravi as a friend who is well-versed in administration and capable of making independent decisions.
