Governor of Basistha
| Governor of Basistha | |
|---|---|
| वशिष्ठ के राज्यपाल (Hindi) | |
 | |
| Style | His/Her Excellency |
| Reports to | Rashtradhyaksh Prime Minister of Vishwamitra |
| Appointer | Rashtradhyaksh on the advice of the union council of ministers and the privy council |
| Term length | At His Illustrious and Royal Majesty's pleasure |
| Constituting instrument | Governorship Act, 2023 |
| Formation | 7 May 2017(first creation) 17 March 2023 (second creation) |
| First holder | Rajdeep Deka (first creation) Tanvi Sridasa (second creation) |
The Governor of Basistha (Hindi: वशिष्ठ के राज्यपाल) is the vice-regal representative of the Rashtradhyaksh, the federal ruler and the union government in the state and the ceremonial deputy head of state of the state of Basistha who serves as the deputy to the Rajpramukh of Basistha, the hereditary executive ruler of the state. The governor is responsible for assisting the Rajpramukh and the state government in the discharge of the administrative and other functions. The governor is also eligible to act as the head of state in the case of the absence of the Rajpramukh.
In May 2017, the position of the governor first came into existence following the bifurcation of Basistha from Beltola as a separate state of the union. However, months later in July 2017, Basistha ceased to be a state and became an union territory following which a series of instability in the status of the territory occurred. In September 2017, Basistha again became a state of the union until becoming an union territory again in February 2019. As an union territory, the affairs of the state were handled by the Lieutenant Governor. In March 2019, Basistha, along with Dadara and Kamrup, became a special administrative territory and the affairs were placed under an Administrator. In October 2019, Basistha again became an union territory. Following Vishwamitra's transition to a monarchy in 2020, the responsibilities rendered by the state governors were transferred to the hereditary rulers known as Rajpramukhs.
In March 2023, the Governorship Bill, 2023 was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Deputy Prime Minister and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Arthur Lacey-Scott-FitzLacia and was subsequently passed by the parliament. The bill received royal assent on 17 March 2023 and thus became an act. Soon after receiving assent, following the provisions laid in the act, the governors of the states were appointed. The current governor is Sampriti Paul who has been in office since 28 July 2024.
History
First creation (2017–2020)
Soon after the bifurcation of Basistha from Beltola to become a separate state of the nation in May 2017, the position of the governor came into existence. Rajdeep Deka, then serving as the Governor of Brihattar Guwahati was transferred and appointed to be the inaugural Governor of Basistha. Within the next two months, Basistha ceased to be a state and was made an union territory on 5 July 2017 and Mohammad Mridul Amin was appointed as the first lieutenant governor who much like the governors of the other states discharged their functions as a presidential nominee except that the lieutenant governor served as both the head of state and the head of government. In September 2017, Basistha again became a state of the union with Sanghita Roy becoming the governor.
In February 2019, Basistha again became an union territory with Mohammad Mridul Amin being re-appointed as the lieutenant governor. In a decision of the government on 6 March 2019, Basistha along with the newly-annexed territories of Dadara and Kamrup were made special administrative territories of the nation and placed under the jurisdiction of a local Administrator appointed by the Sovereign (that is the President) on recommendations made by the High Commissioners who were presidential agents in the territories. Accordingly, Mridul Amin was appointed as the first Acting Administrator and was succeeded by Reshmi Hazarika on acting basis following his resignation. Jemina Hazarika was then appointed as the first full-time Administrator of Basistha on 29 March 2019.
Further, in June 2019, Dadara and Kamrup was granted statehood which was followed by Basistha again becoming an union territory in October 2019. Manoj Chetry thereupon became the lieutenant governor. On 2 February 2020, the role of the state governors were replaced by the Governor-General who became the head of the dominions instead of the states. Basistha and Kamrupa were declared as federal territories and placed under a governor. Sanghita Roy served as the governor thereupon until Basistha's becoming an union territory in May 2020 when Manoj Chetry was appointed as the Administrator of Basistha and Kamrupa. On 8 June 2020, the position was abolished following Vishwamitra's transition to a monarchy. The duties of the administrator were transferred to the Rajpramukh of Basistha, who is the hereditary executive monarch of the state.
Rajyapal (2021–2022)
Article 50 of the Constitution stated that subject to the incapacity of the Rajpramukh of Basistha and on the advice of the brotherly rulers of Purvanchal and Beltola, the Conference of Rulers may decide to abolish the monarchy in the state and replace the head of state with the Rajyapal or Grand Governor who shall be appointed by the Conference of Rulers and serve as a member of the conference except for voting during the election of the Rashtradhyaksh and Uparashtradhyaksh. Accordingly, Mridul Amin of Basistha, then Rajpramukh of Basistha was removed and replaced by Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu, former Prime Minister as the Rajyapal of Basistha. Snagoveanu continued to serve in office until the re-instatement of the monarchy on 18 March 2022.
The monarchy was re-instated in Basistha on 18 March 2022 with Anoushkaa Patranabish serving as the Rajpramukh.
Second creation (2023–present)
The position of the governor came into existence for the second time in 2023 after the passage of the Governorship Act, 2023 by the Lok Sabha and its receiving royal assent on 17 March 2023. Under the provisions of the act, the governors are to be the vice-regal representative of the Rashtradhyaksh and shall serve as deputy to the hereditary state rulers and act as head of state whenever needed. Tanvi Sridasa was appointed as the first governor of the state after the position's re-introduction on 17 March 2023 and she remained in office till being appointed as the Governor of Beltola on 28 May 2023. She was succeeded as the governor of the state by Bhargab Jyoti Medhi.
Functions and role
The governor, and on times, the lieutenant governor or administrator, served as the head of state of Basistha between 2017 and 2020 having control over large range of responsibilities in the governance of the state. The functions of the governor included:
- discharging the day-to-day affairs of the state.
- maintain law and order and general administration of the state.
- communicate and brief the President about activities in the state.
- appoint the chief minister and other officials upon approval of the President.
Following the re-introduction of the position in March 2023, the functions of the governor have been reduced to largely ceremonial ones. The governor, being the vice-regal representative of the Rashtradhyaksh, shares their duties and functions with the Rajpramukh and performs the functions whenever needed as asked by the Rashtradhyaksh. The principal duty rendered by the governor is to act as a bridge in the communication between the state government and the central government and to relay information to the central government and to convey information from the central government to that of the state.
List of office-holders
Governor of Basistha (2017) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Home state | Term start | Term end | Term length | President | Prime Minister | |
| 1 | 
|
His Excellency Rajdeep Deka (born 2002) |
Uttar Guwahati | 7 May 2017 |
6 July 2017 |
60 days | Varuna Sriraya | Klarissa Sriraya | |
Lieutenant Governor of Basistha (2017) | |||||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Home state | Term start | Term end | Term length | President | Prime Minister | |
| 1 | 
|
His Excellency Mridul Amin (born 2003) |
Uttar Guwahati | 6 July 2017 |
6 September 2017 |
62 days | Varuna Sriraya | Tanishkaa Patranabish | |
| Reshmi Hazarika, the Governor of Beltola served as Administrator of Basistha from 6 September 2017 until 17 September 2019. | |||||||||
Governor of Basistha (2017–2019) | |||||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Home state | Term start | Term end | Term length | President | Prime Minister | |
| 1 | .svg)
|
Her Excellency Sanghita Roy (born 2003) |
Madhya Guwahati | 17 September 2017 |
23 April 2018 |
218 days | Varuna Sriraya | Tanishkaa Patranabish | |
| Anoushkaa Patranabish | Varuna Sriraya | ||||||||
| 2 | .svg)
|
His Excellency Subhajit Kar (born 2001) |
Madhya Guwahati | 23 April 2018 |
4 February 2019 |
287 days | |||
| Varuna Sriraya | Tanishkaa Patranabish | ||||||||
| Vacant | |||||||||
| Tanishkaa Patranabish | |||||||||
Lieutenant Governor of Basistha (2019) | |||||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Home state | Term start | Term end | Term length | President | Prime Minister | |
| 1 |
|
His Excellency Mridul Amin (born 2003) |
Uttar Guwahati | 4 February 2019 |
6 March 2019 |
30 days | Varuna Sriraya | Tanishkaa Patranabish | |
Administrator of Basistha (2019) | |||||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Home state | Term start | Term end | Term length | President | Prime Minister | |
| Mridul Amin served as Acting Administrator of Basistha from 6 March 2019 until 18 March 2019. | |||||||||
| Reshmi Hazarika, the Governor of Brihattar Guwahati served as Administrator-in-charge from 18 March 2019 until 29 March 2019. | |||||||||
| 1 |
|
The Honourable Jemina Hazarika (born 2006) |
Basistha | 29 March 2019 |
31 July 2019 |
124 days | Varuna Sriraya | Tanishkaa Patranabish | |
| Ankurjyoti Thakuria, the Governor of Beltola served as Administrator-in-charge from 31 July 2019 until 14 August 2019. | |||||||||
| 2 |
|
The Honourable Kushal Saha (born 2006) |
Beltola | 14 August 2019 |
25 October 2019 |
72 days | Varuna Sriraya | Tanishkaa Patranabish | |
Lieutenant Governor of Basistha (2019–2020) | |||||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Home state | Term start | Term end | Term length | President | Prime Minister | |
| 1 | 
|
His Excellency Manoj Chetry (born 2005) |
Purvanchal | 25 October 2019 |
2 February 2020 |
100 days | Varuna Sriraya | Tanishkaa Patranabish | |
Governor of Basistha (2020) | |||||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Home state | Term start | Term end | Term length | President | Prime Minister | |
| Saikat Seal, the Governor-General of Madhya Prant served as Administrator from 2 February 2020 until 10 February 2020. | |||||||||
| 1 |
|
Her Excellency Sanghita Roy (born 2003) |
Madhya Prant | 10 February 2020 |
13 May 2020 |
93 days | Varuna Sriraya | Tanishkaa Patranabish | |
| Anoushkaa Patranabish | |||||||||
| Tanishkaa Patranabish | |||||||||
| Tanishkaa Patranabish | Position vacant | ||||||||
Administrator of Basistha (2020) | |||||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Home state | Term start | Term end | Term length | President | Prime Minister | |
| 1 |
|
His Excellency Manoj Chetry (born 2005) |
Purvanchal | 13 May 2020 |
7 June 2020 |
25 days | Tanishkaa Patranabish | Position vacant | |
| Position abolished; monarchy established. | |||||||||
Governor of Basistha (2023–present) | |||||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Home state | Term start | Term end | Term length | Monarch | Prime Minister | |
| 1 | 
|
Her Serene Highness Datin Sri Utama Tanvi Sridasa (born 2013) |
Purvanchal | 17 March 2023 |
28 May 2023 |
72 days | Varuna Sriraya | Farhaz Hazarika | |
| 2 |
|
His Excellency Tan Sri Dato Utama Bhargab Jyoti Medhi (born 2001) |
Purvanchal | 28 May 2023 |
12 August 2023 |
76 days | |||
| 3 |
|
His Excellency Tan Sri Dato Utama Ankurjyoti Thakuria (born 2002) |
Kamrupa | 12 August 2023 |
29 March 2024 |
230 days | |||
| Position vacant during this interval | |||||||||
| 4 |
|
Her Excellency Maha Jaya Sampriti Paul (born 2004) |
Madhya Prant | 28 July 2024 |
Incumbent | 114 days | Varuna Sriraya | Klarissa Sriraya | |
Timeline
Time in office
- Longest serving: Sanghita Roy (311 days)
- Shortest serving: Saikat Seal (acting) (8 days)
Below is the list of the governors and lieutenant governors of Basistha by total time in office:
- Sanghita Roy – 311 days
- Subhajit Kar – 287 days
- Manoj Chetry – 125 days
- Jemina Hazarika – 124 days
- Mridul Amin – 104 days
- Kushal Saha and Tanvi Sridasa – 72 days
- Rajdeep Deka – 59 days
- Bhargab Jyoti Medhi – 1 year, 175 days
- Reshmi Hazarika (acting) – 22 days
- Ankurjyoti Thakuria (acting) – 14 days
- Saikat Seal (acting) – 8 days