R.N. Ravi Appointed West Bengal Governor After Bose Resigns
Mamata Banerjee says Centre did not consult state before decision
GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 5th March: R. N. Ravi has been appointed the new Governor of West Bengal following the resignation of C. V. Ananda Bose ahead of the state’s Assembly elections.
The development was confirmed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who said she was informed of the decision by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
In a post on social media platform X, Banerjee said the Centre had not consulted her before making the appointment, which she said was against established conventions.
She criticised the move, stating that such unilateral decisions undermine the spirit of the Constitution and weaken the federal structure.
Ravindra Narayan Ravi is a retired Indian Police Service officer of the 1976 Kerala cadre. After completing postgraduate studies in physics, he served in the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Intelligence Bureau.
In 2014, he was appointed Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee in the Prime Minister’s Office and later served as Deputy National Security Advisor in 2018.
After retirement, Ravi was appointed Governor of Nagaland and also held additional charge as Governor of Meghalaya.
Ravi’s tenure as Governor of Tamil Nadu has been marked by frequent confrontations with the government led by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin.
Last month, he skipped the customary address to the state Assembly after reiterating that the national anthem should be played along with the state anthem at the start of the session.
The DMK government has also criticised him for delays in granting assent to several bills passed by the Assembly.
In 2024, Ravi declined to re-induct minister K. Ponmudy into the Cabinet despite the Supreme Court staying his conviction.
Earlier in 2023, Ravi briefly announced the dismissal of arrested minister V. Senthil Balaji without the Chief Minister’s advice before withdrawing the decision the same day.
