List of governors of Tamil Nadu

Governor of Tamil Nadu
Tamiḻnāṭu Āḷunar
Emblem of Tamil Nadu
Incumbent
Rajendra Arlekar
(Additional Charge)
since 12 March 2026
StyleHis Excellency
StatusHead of state
Reports toPresident of India
Residence
AppointerPresident of India
Formation7 September 1948 (1948-09-07)
First holder
Websitetnlokbhavan.gov.in

The governor of Tamil Nadu is the constitutional head of state of Tamil Nadu and the representative of the president of India in the state. In the state, the governor holds an important position in ensuring that the administration functions according to the constitution of India. They are appointed by the president and serve as the nominal executive authority of the state. The governor’s official residences are the Lok Bhavan, located in Chennai and Udhagamandalam. The governor performs various duties, such as giving assent to bills passed by the state legislative assembly, appointing the chief minister, and overseeing the constitutional functioning of the state government. Although the real executive power lies with the council of ministers headed by the chief minister, the governor plays a vital role in maintaining the constitutional framework and stability of the state administration.[1]

The current incumbent is Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who has been serving as an additional charge since 12 March 2026.[2]

Qualifications

Article 157 and Article 158 of the Constitution of India specify eligibility requirements for the post of governor. They are as follows:

A governor:

Traditionally, governors are not appointed to lead the states where they reside, although this is not stipulated in the constitution.

Powers and functions

The governor has:

  • Executive powers related to administration, appointments and removals
  • Legislative powers related to lawmaking and the state legislative assembly and
  • Discretionary powers are to be carried out according to the discretion of the Governor.

In his ex-officio capacity, the governor of Tamil Nadu is chancellor of the universities of Tamil Nadu as per the Acts of the Universities.

List

Key
  • RES Resigned
  • † Died in office
  •   Acting / Additional Charge
  • § Transferred
Governors of Madras Province
# Portrait Name

(born- died)

 Home state Tenure in office Appointed by
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Archibald Nye
(1895–1967)		 Not applicable 15 August 1947 6 September 1948 1 year, 22 days Lord Mountbatten
2 Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji
(1912–1965)		 Gujarat 7 September 1948 25 January 1950 1 year, 140 days C. Rajagopalachari
Development after independence

Madras State was a state in the Indian Republic, which was in existence during the mid-20th century as a successor to the Madras Province of British India. The state came into existence on 26 January 1950 when the Constitution of India was adopted and included the present-day Tamil Nadu and parts of neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala till 1 November 1956, when the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 came into effect.

Governors of Madras State
# Portrait Name

(born- died)

 Home state Tenure office Appointed by
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji
(1912–1965)		 Gujarat 26 January 1950 11 March 1952 2 years, 45 days C. Rajagopalachari
2 Sri Prakasa
(1890–1971)		 Uttar Pradesh 12 March 1952 9 December 1956[§][α] 4 years, 272 days Rajendra Prasad
3 A. J. John
(1893–1957)		 Keralam 10 December 1956 30 September 1957[†] 294 days
– P. V. Rajamannar
(1901–1979)
(Acting)		 Tamil Nadu 1 October 1957 24 January 1958 115 days
4 Bishnu Ram Medhi
(1888–1981)		 Assam 24 January 1958 3 May 1964 6 years, 100 days
5 Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar
(1919–1974)		 Karnataka 4 May 1964 23 November 1964 203 days Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
– P. Chandra Reddy
(1904–1976)
(Acting)		 Andhra Pradesh 24 November 1964 7 February 1965 75 days
(5) Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar
(1919–1974)		 Karnataka 8 February 1965[§] 14 August 1965 187 days
– P. Chandra Reddy
(1904–1976)
(Acting)		 Andhra Pradesh 13 August 1965[§] 19 September 1965 37 days
(5) Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar
(1919–1974)		 Karnataka 20 September 1965[§] 3 January 1966 105 days
– P. Chandra Reddy
(1904–1976)
(Acting)		 Andhra Pradesh 4 January 1966[§] 27 June 1966 174 days
6 Ujjal Singh
(1895–1983)		 Punjab 28 June 1966 16 June 1967 2 years, 199 days
17 June 1967 13 January 1969 Zakir Husain
  1. ↑ Transferred as the Governor of Bombay State
Change in nomenclature

On 18 July 1967, the state legislative assembly unanimously adopted a resolution recommending that the state government take the necessary steps to secure an amendment to the Constitution of India aimed at changing the name of Madras State to Tamil Nadu. Consequently, the Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act, 1968 (Central Act 53 of 1968), was enacted by the Parliament of India and came into effect on 14 January 1969.


Governors of Tamil Nadu (1969–present)

# Portrait Name
(born – died)		 Home state Tenure in office Appointer
(President)
From To Time in office
1 Ujjal Singh
(1895–1983)		 Punjab 14 January
1969		 25 May
1971		 2 years, 131 days Zakir Hussain
2 Kodardas Kalidas Shah
(1908–1986)		 Gujarat 26 May
1971		 15 June
1976		 5 years, 20 days V. V. Giri
3 Mohan Lal Sukhadia
(1916–1982)		 Rajasthan 16 June
1976		 8 April
1977[‡]		 296 days Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
4 Justice
P. Govindan Nair
(Acting)		 Kerala 9 April
1977		 26 April
1977		 17 days B. D. Jatti
5 Prabhudas Patwari
(1909–1985)		 Gujarat 27 April
1977		 26 October
1980[‡]		 3 years, 182 days
6 Justice
M. M. Ismail
(1921–2005)
(Acting)		 Tamil Nadu 27 October
1980		 3 November
1980		 7 days Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
7 Sadiq Ali
(1910–2001)		 Rajasthan 4 November
1980		 2 September
1982		 1 year, 302 days
8 Sundar Lal Khurana
IAS (Retd)
(1918–2007)		 Delhi 3 September
1982		 16 February
1988		 5 years, 166 days Zail Singh
9 P. C. Alexander
IAS (Retd)
(1921–2011)		 Kerala 17 February
1988		 23 May
1990[‡]		 2 years, 95 days Ramaswamy Venkataraman
10 Surjit Singh Barnala
(1925–2017)		 Punjab 24 May
1990		 14 February
1991[‡]		 266 days
11 Bhishma Narain Singh
(1933–2018)		 Bihar 15 February
1991		 30 May
1993[‡]		 2 years, 104 days
12 Marri Chenna Reddy
(1919–1996)		 Andhra Pradesh 31 May
1993		 2 December
1996[†]		 3 years, 185 days Shankar Dayal Sharma
13 Krishan Kant
(1927–2002)
(Additional charge)		 Punjab 2 December
1996		 24 January
1997		 53 days
14 Justice (Retd)
M. Fathima Beevi
(1927–2023)		 Kerala 25 January
1997		 3 July
2001[‡]		 4 years, 159 days
15 C. Rangarajan
(born 1932)
(Additional charge)		 Tamil Nadu 3 July
2001		 17 January
2002		 198 days K. R. Narayanan
16 P. S. Ramamohan Rao
IPS (Retd)
(born 1934)		 Andhra Pradesh 18 January
2002		 2 November
2004[‡]		 2 years, 289 days
17 Surjit Singh Barnala
(1925–2017)		 Punjab 3 November
2004		 30 August
2011		 6 years, 300 days A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
18 Konijeti Rosaiah
(1933–2021)		 Andhra Pradesh 31 August
2011		 1 September
2016		 5 years, 1 day Pratibha Patil
19 C. Vidyasagar Rao
(born 1941)
(Additional charge)		 Telangana 2 September
2016		 5 October
2017		 1 year, 33 days Pranab Mukherjee
20 Banwarilal Purohit
(born 1940)		 Maharashtra 6 October
2017		 17 September
2021[§][α]		 3 years, 346 days Ram Nath Kovind
21 R. N. Ravi
IPS (Retd)
(born 1952)		 Bihar 18 September
2021		 12 March
2026[§][β]		 4 years, 175 days
22 Rajendra Arlekar
(born 1954)
(Additional charge)		 Goa 12 March
2026		 Incumbent 171 days Droupadi Murmu

See also

Oath

"enum naan, iraivan peril aanaiyittu, Tamil Naattu aalunar padhaviyai pramaanikkamaaga aatruven endrum, enadhu aatral muzhumaikkum arasiyalamaippaiyum sattathaiyum peni paadhugaathu aran seiven endrum, Tamil Naattu makkalin thondirkum nalvaazhvirkum ennai arppanithukolven endrum urudhi koorugiren."

References

  1. ↑ Durga Das Basu. Introduction to the Constitution of India. 1960. 20th edition, 2011 reprint. LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur. ISBN 978-81-8038-559-9. p. 237, 241–44. Note: although the text talks about Indian state governments in general, it applies for the specific case of Tamil Nadu as well.
  2. ↑ "Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar assumes additional charge as Tamil Nadu Governor". The Hindu. 12 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
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