Nagaland Governor willing to quit, WB's MK Narayanan seeks time
Governors call on Home Minister
Source: The Sangai Express / Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi, June 23 2014: Nagaland Governor Ashwini Kumar has informed Home Minister Rajnath Singh that he is willing to step down, according to sources.

Sources say that West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan has sought more time to make up his mind.

Both Kumar and Narayanan met the Home Minister on Friday, say sources.

Puducherry Governor Virendra Kataria also met the Home Minister on Monday.

Chhattisgarh Governor Shekhar Dutt had resigned on Thursday and had submitted his resignation letter to President Pranab Mukherjee.

The move came as the Narendra Modi government was planning to remove all Governors appointed by the Congress.

Sources added that Governor of Gujarat Kamla Beniwal, who was another UPA appointee may be removed.

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha is the front runner for the post.

Earlier last week, Uttar Pradesh Governor Banwari Lal Joshi had tendered his resignation.

Sources had said that all Governors appointed by the Congress were likely to submit their resignation, adding that those who refuse to resign could be transferred by the government.

Karanataka Governor HR Bharadwaj and Assam governor JB Patnaik had denied reports that they would resign from their posts.

"No one asked me for it and I won't resign.

Meeting President was a courtesy call," the Karanataka Governor had said.

Kerala Governor Sheila Dikshit, too, was undecided on resigning from her post.

Refusing to comment, the former Delhi chief minister had said, "I can't react to rumors." She was appointed as the Governor of Kerala following poll debacle in the Assembly elections in December 2013 .

According to sources, the Centre was planning to remove 5 governors including Joshi.

Others included the governors of Kerala, Punjab, Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.

The step was being taken so that the BJP can give the post to their veteran leaders who could not find a place in the Modi Cabinet.

Even in 2004, when the UPA replaced the NDA at the Centre, they also changed the Governors.

UPA, too, had asked for Governors to be removed before their term was over.

These included Babu Parmanand (Haryana), Vishnu Kant Shastri (Uttar Pradesh), Kidar Nath Sahani (Goa) and Kailashpati Mishra (Gujarat) .

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