Ashim Kumar Ghosh sworn in as Haryana governor

    Chandigarh, Jul 21 (PTI) Distinguished academician Ashim Kumar Ghosh on Monday took oath as the 19th governor of Haryana, succeeding Bandaru Dattatraya.
    Ghosh (81) was administered the oath of office by Punjab and Haryana High Court's Chief Justice Sheel Nagu at a ceremony held at the Haryana Raj Bhavan here.
    Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli, Ghosh’s wife Mitra Ghosh and other members of the family, and Saini's wife Suman Saini were among those present on the occasion.
    A political scientist by training and a former professor at a college in Kolkata, Ghosh had long been seen as a cerebral presence in a party where oratory, discipline, and ideological clarity were prized during the tumultuous years of the BJP in West Bengal.
    Although his active political career faded nearly two decades ago, Ghosh remained a respected voice within the party.
    His elevation as a governor is being seen as both an acknowledgement of his long political journey and a gesture of respect toward the older generation of BJP leaders, who built the party's foundations in West Bengal, where it long remained marginal.
    His tenure as the party's state president, from 1999 to 2002, coincided with a period of modest growth and consolidation for the BJP in Bengal.
    The Haryana government in a statement said that Ghosh served as the head of the department of political science at a reputed college in Kolkata for nearly four decades.
    "He has actively contributed to academic research and political discourse, having worked on UGC and ICSSR projects and authored several articles in prominent publications," the statement said.
    Also present at the oath ceremony were Haryana Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, state ministers Krishan Lal Panwar, Mahipal Dhanda, Arvind Sharma, Shyam Singh Rana, Ranbir Gangwa, Krishna Kumar Bedi, Shruti Chaudhary, Rajesh Nagar, Gaurav Gautam, and Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
    After taking oath, Ghosh greeted the dignitaries and accepted their felicitations.
    To mark the occasion, the governor was given a guard of honour by a special contingent of the Haryana Armed Police.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)