Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar took charge as the full-time Governor of Tamil Nadu on 15 October 2026 at Lok Bhavan in Chennai. His assumption of office follows a fresh appointment by President Droupadi Murmu to the post. Until now Arlekar had been the Governor of Keralam and had been holding additional charge of Tamil Nadu. That arrangement began on 5 March 2026, after R. N.
Ravi, the previous Tamil Nadu Governor, was moved to West Bengal. For more than seven months, therefore, the state had no dedicated Governor and relied on a neighbouring state’s Governor to carry out constitutional duties. The change matters in Tamil Nadu because the relationship between the Governor’s office and the elected government has been a flashpoint for years, with disputes over assent to bills and the role of the Governor in university affairs. The state is now run by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government.
Arlekar’s tenure in Keralam also saw frequent public discussion about the Governor’s powers. How he handles pending legislation and appointments in Tamil Nadu will be closely watched by the ruling party and the opposition alike. The formal handover marks the start of what is expected to be a politically sensitive stretch for Raj Bhavan, now called Lok Bhavan, in the state capital.