Chennai: R N Ravi’s four-year stormy tenure as Tamil Nadu governor has come to an end. He will now be governor of West Bengal in place of C V Ananda Bose, who resigned on Friday. Kerala governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will discharge the functions of Tamil Nadu governor, said an official release. TOI has learned that Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla is likely to be appointed TN governor.Govt sources told TOI that Union home minister Amit Shah informed chief minister M K Stalin of the shifting of Ravi ahead of the official communique from President. The changes have come days ahead of Election Commission’s expected announcement of the assembly election dates and enforcement of the model code of conduct.Ravi took charge as the 26th governor of Tamil Nadu in 2021, a few months after DMK govt led by M K Stalin assumed office. His tenure was marked by recurrent confrontations with the state govt. Ravi walked out of the assembly without delivering the customary address for the fourth consecutive time this year, alleging disrespect for the national anthem.Ravi and the TN govt continued to lock horns after Lok Bhavan sat on several bills passed by the assembly. On a petition by TN govt, Supreme Court in April 2025 declared 10 bills withheld by the governor as deemed to have been assented to. The stand-off between the state govt and the Lok Bhavan led to a situation where 14 out of 22 universities were without a head for periods ranging from one to three years. After the latest face-off in assembly, Stalin said DMK, along with its allies, would work towards abolishing the governor’s address.
