CHENNAI: Manipur Governor Najma Heptullah and former Gujarat chief minister Anadiben Patel are among the names doing the rounds as the Centre is said to be actively considering appointing a ‘full-time’ Governor for Tamil Nadu who would be able to proactively contribute to the state’s administration considering that Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa is likely to be in hospital for some more time.
Maharashtra Governor CH Vidyadsagar Rao is presently holding additional charge of Tamil Nadu after K. Rosaiah retired on August 31 and the former has been camping at the Raj Bhavan here for the last few days closely monitoring not just the CM's health status but also the state administration. After holding discussions on October 7 with the chief secretary and senior ministers O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi Palanisamy for briefing on state affairs, particularly the strategy on the Cauvery issue, Governor Rao announced transfer of Jayalalithaa's portfolios on Tuesday.
“Considering the need for a new Governor to be appointed without further delay, the Centre is actively considering a few names. The decision is expected very soon,” said a source. Ms Heptullah’s name was at the top of media speculation when Rosaiah retired, considering her closeness to Jayalalithaa from their days together as members of the Rajya Sabha in the 80s, but she ended up being posted to Manipur as Governor. She could still be moved to Tamil Nadu in view of the extraordinary situation prevailing here, sources said.
