Banwari Lal Purohit, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator, has stepped down, citing personal reasons in a letter to President Draupadi Murmu. While reports suggest tensions with the Bhagwant Mann government, Purohit emphasized personal reasons without clear confirmation.
Chandigarh: Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Banwari Lal Purohit has resigned from his post. Purohit has cited personal reasons behind his resignation. Banwari Lal Purohit, in a letter to President Draupadi Murmu, said, “Due to my personal reasons and some other commitments, I am resigning from the post of Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Please accept my resignation.’ ‘It should be noted that there was a constant tussle between the Bhagwant Mann government of Punjab and Banwari Lal Purohit.
Therefore, it is believed in the inside account that Purohit has resigned due to the tussle with the Bhagwant Mann government. However, Purohit If he has talked about personal reasons then it cannot be said clearly.
#Punjab Governor #BanwarilalPurohit resigns from the post due to personal reasons. pic.twitter.com/nKNOIIRYyh
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) February 3, 2024
Banwari Lal Purohit was made the Governor of Punjab in August 2021:
Former President Ramnath Kovind appointed Banwari Lal Purohit as Punjab’s Governor, succeeding VP Singh Badnore. Sworn in as the 29th Governor in August 2021 by Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha at Punjab Raj Bhavan, Purohit enjoyed a positive relationship with then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh of the Congress-led government. However, with the change in government after the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, relations soured, leading to Purohit’s resignation amid reported tensions with the new administration.
Banwari Lal Purohit Administers Oath to Two Chief Ministers During His Tenure as Punjab Governor:
Banwari Lal Purohit oversaw the oath-taking ceremonies of two Chief Ministers during his tenure as Punjab Governor. Following internal turmoil in the Congress, Captain Amarinder Singh resigned from the Chief Minister post in September 2021 and submitted his resignation to Purohit. Subsequently, Charanjit Singh Channi was appointed as the new Chief Minister, and Purohit administered the oath to him. Later, after the assembly elections in March 2022, Purohit administered the oath to Bhagwant Mann when the Aam Aadmi Party formed the government in Punjab.
Before becoming Punjab Governor, Banwari Lal Purohit was the Governor of Tamil Nadu:
Prior to his role as Punjab Governor, Banwari Lal Purohit served as the 14th Governor of Tamil Nadu from October 2017 to September 2021. Before his Tamil Nadu tenure, Purohit was the 25th Governor of Assam, appointed in August 2016, holding the position until September 2017. Simultaneously, he assumed the additional role of the 16th Governor of Meghalaya from January 2017 to October 2017.
Banwari Lal Purohit's political journey was full of ups and downs:
Before becoming the Governor, Banwari Lal Purohit had represented Nagpur region of Maharashtra in active politics. In 1978, Indira Gandhi separated from the Congress Party and formed her own Congress (I) Party, on whose ticket Banwari Lal Purohit reached the Maharashtra Assembly by becoming MLA from Nagpur East. After that, Purohit was a Congress Party MP from Nagpur Lok Sabha seat in 1984 and 1989.
But after the Ram Mandir movement, he left the Congress in 1991 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and contested the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat in 1991 but could not win. But in the 1996 elections he again got a chance to serve Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency. Later, due to some differences with veteran BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, he also left BJP and in 2003 formed his own new party named ‘Vidarbha State Party’ and contested the 2004 elections but could not win. Later he again joined BJP and unsuccessfully contested elections again in 2009.