Acharya Devvrat to take oath as Maharashtra Governor on Monday

Ahmedabad, Sep 14 (IANS) Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat will be sworn in as the Governor of Maharashtra on Monday. The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Darbar Hall in Raj Bhavan, Mumbai.

The development follows Devvrat being assigned the additional charge of Maharashtra after former Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan stepped down on September 11 upon being elected Vice President of India.

On Sunday morning, Devvrat, accompanied by his wife Darshana Devi, travelled from Ahmedabad to Mumbai aboard the Tejas Express.

At 66, Acharya Devvrat has been serving as the Governor of Gujarat since 2019. A former educator and Arya Samaj pracharak, he previously served as principal of a Gurukul in Kurukshetra, Haryana.

President Droupadi Murmu formally appointed him to the additional role earlier this week.

"Consequent upon demitting the office of Governor of Maharashtra by C.P. Radhakrishnan due to his election as the Vice-President of India, the President of India has appointed Acharya Devvrat, Governor of Gujarat, to discharge the functions of the Governor of Maharashtra, in addition to his own duties," the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in an official statement on September 11.

In addition to his gubernatorial responsibilities, Devvrat also serves as Vice Chancellor of several universities in Gujarat. Before his current post, he had been the Governor of Himachal Pradesh.

Known for his advocacy of natural farming and cattle-breed improvement, Devvrat has actively promoted sustainable agricultural practices. He holds a master's degree in History and Hindi, as well as a diploma in Yoga Science.

This comes as Radhakrishnan, the NDA nominee, was elected as the 15th Vice President of India on Tuesday, securing 452 votes against Opposition candidate and former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy, who received 300 votes.

On September 12, Radhakrishnan was sworn in at a formal ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Vice Presidential election was held following the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar.

--IANS

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