Who is Ramesh Bais, the New Governor of Maharashtra? Know All About Him

Ramesh Bais took over the post after Bhagat Singh Koshyari resigned last week after a controversial tenure. Know all about the new Governor of Maharashtra.

Pic Credit: File Photo

New Delhi: Former Governor of Jharkhand Ramesh Bais took oath as the 20th Governor of Maharashtra on Saturday (February 18). He took over the position after Bhagat Singh Koshyari. He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court S V Gangapurwala at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was present at the swearing-in ceremony. Koshyari, who served as the Maharashtra governor from September 2019, resigned last week after a controversial tenure.

Who is Ramesh Bais?

Ramesh Bais is the 20th Governor of Maharashtra. Born on August 2, 1947, in Raipur, Madhya Pradesh, now in Chhattisgarh, he is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Bais has had a long and illustrious political career and has served as the Governor of Jharkhand from 2021 to 2023 and the Governor of Tripura from 2019 to 2021.

Bais completed his Higher Secondary education from B.S.E., Bhopal, and is an agriculturist by profession. He married Rambai Bais on May 1, 1968, and they have a son and two daughters. Bais began his political career in 1978 when he was elected to the Municipal Corporation of Raipur. He won the 1980 MP Assembly election from Mandir Hasod Constituency but lost the 1985 Assembly election to his Congress rival Satyanarayan Sharma.

Maharashtra's new Governor Ramesh Bais visited and offered prayers at Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai today.

Earlier in the day, he took the oath of office. pic.twitter.com/qL7TrPG3Uw

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2023

Bais was first elected to the Indian parliament as a member of the 9th Lok Sabha from Raipur in 1989 and was re-elected consecutively from 1996 to 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th Lok Sabha. He has also served as Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests in the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

As the 10th Governor of Jharkhand, Bais had several noticeable tensions with the state government led by Hemant Soren during his tenure. He criticized the work culture in Jharkhand and flagged law and order as a significant problem. 

(With PTI inputs)