List of governors of Odisha

Last updated
Governor of Odisha
Seal of Odisha.png
Shri Kambhampati Hari Babu.jpg
since 3 January 2025 (2025-01-03)
Style His Excellency
Residence Raj Bhavan, Bhubaneswar
Raj Bhavan, Puri
Appointer President of India
Term length At the pleasure of the president
Inaugural holder Sir John Austen Hubback
Formation1 April 1936;89 years ago (1936-04-01)
Website rajbhavanodisha.gov.in

The governor of Odisha is the head of the Indian state of Odisha. The governors have similar powers and functions at the state level as those of the president of India at central level. They exist in the state appointed by the president of India and they are not local to the state that they are appointed to govern. The factors based on which the president evaluates the candidates is not mentioned in the constitution. The governor acts as the nominal head whereas the real power lies with the chief minister of the state and their council of ministers whereas they act as the nominal head. The current incumbent is Kambhampati Hari Babu since 3 January 2025. There are 36 governors if counted with 8 acting governors and 1 additional charge.

Contents

List

Legend
Color key
#PortraitName
(lifespan)
Previous Office
Home stateTenure in officeAppointer
(President)
FromToTime in office
Orissa Province, British India (1936 - 1947)
1 No image (male).svg Sir John Austen Hubback
(1878–1968)
United Kingdom 1 April 193611 August 19382 years, 132 days Freeman Thomas
(Viceroy)
- No image (male).svg George Townsend Boag
CSI ICS
(1884–1969)
(Acting)
11 August 19387 December 1938118 days Victor Hope
(Viceroy)
(1) No image (male).svg Sir John Austen Hubback
(1878–1968)
8 December 193831 March 19412 years, 113 days
(Total 4 years, 245 days)
2 No image (male).svg Sir Hawthorne Lewis
KCIE ICS
(1888–1970)
1 April 194131 March 19464 years, 364 days
3 Chandulal Madhavlal Trivedi.png Chandulal Madhavlal Trivedi
CIE OBE ICS
(1893–1980)
Secretary in the War Depatment
Gujarat 1 April 194614 August 19471 year, 135 days Archibald Wavell
(Viceroy)
Orissa Province, Dominion of India (1947 - 1950)
4 Kailash Nath Katju.jpg Kailash Nath Katju
(1887–1968)
Minister in United Provinces Provisional Government
Central Provinces and Berar 15 August 194720 June 1948 [§] [α] 310 days Lord Mountbatten
(Governor-General)
5 Asaf Ali 1949.jpg Asaf Ali
(1888–1953)
Ambassador of India to the United States
United Provinces 21 June 194825 January 19501 year, 218 days
Orissa State, Republic of India (After 1950)
(5) Asaf Ali 1949.jpg Asaf Ali
(1888–1953)
Ambassador of India to the United States
United Provinces 26 January 19505 May 19511 year, 99 days Lord Mountbatten
(Governor-General)
No image (male).svg V. P. Menon
CSI CIE
(1893–1965)
Secretary in the Ministry of the States
(Acting)
Madras State 6 May 195117 July 195172 days Rajendra Prasad
(Acting)
(5) Asaf Ali 1949.jpg Asaf Ali
(1888–1953)
Ambassador of India to the United States
United Provinces 18 July 19516 June 1952324 days

(Total 3 years, 276 days)

6 Saiyid Fazl Ali.jpg Justice (Retd)
Saiyid Fazl Ali
(1886–1959)
Judge of the Supreme Court of India
Bihar 7 June 19529 February 19541 year, 247 days Rajendra Prasad
7 Kumarasami raja.jpg P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja
(1898–1957)
Chief Minister of Madras State
Madras State 10 February 195411 September 19562 years, 214 days
8 Bhim Sen Sachar.png Bhim Sen Sachar
(1894–1978)
Chief Minister of Punjab
Punjab 12 September 195631 July 1957 [§] [β] 322 days
9 Y N Sukhtankar.jpg Yashwant Narayan Sukthankar
CIE ICS (Retd)
(1897–1973)
Cabinet Secretary of India
Bombay State 31 July 195715 September 19625 years, 46 days
10 Ajudhia Nath Khosla.jpg Ajudhia Nath Khosla
(1892–1984)
MP from Rajya Sabha
Punjab 16 September 19625 August 19663 years, 323 days Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
No image (male).svg Justice
Khaleel Ahmed
(1907–his death)
Chief Justice of Orissa High Court
(Acting)
Bihar 5 August 196611 September 196637 days
(10) Ajudhia Nath Khosla.jpg Ajudhia Nath Khosla
(1892–1984)
MP from Rajya Sabha
Punjab 12 September 196630 January 19681 year, 140 days
(Total 5 years, 98 days)
11 Shaukatullah Shah Ansari.jpg Shaukatullah Shah Ansari
(1908–1972)
MP from Bidar, Karnataka
Uttar Pradesh 31 January 196820 September 19713 years, 232 days Zakir Husain
Jogendra Singh (politician).jpg Sardar Jogendra Singh
(1903–1979)
MP from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh
(Acting)
Uttar Pradesh 20 September 197130 June 1972 [§] [γ] 284 days V. V. Giri
Gati Krushna Misra.jpg Justice
Gati Krushna Misra
(d. 2009)
Chief Justice of Orissa High Court
(Acting)
Orissa 1 July 19728 November 1972130 days
12 Basappa Danappa Jatti, 5th Vice President of India.jpg Basappa Danappa Jatti
(1912–2002)
Chief Minister of Mysore State
Karnataka 8 November 197220 August 1974 [‡] [δ] 1 year, 285 days
Gati Krushna Misra.jpg Justice
Gati Krushna Misra
(d. 2009)
Chief Justice of Orissa High Court
(Acting)
Orissa 21 August 197425 October 197465 days
(Total 195 days)
13 Photo Akbar Ali Khan.jpg Akbar Ali Khan
(1899–1994)
Governor of Uttar Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh 25 October 197417 April 1976 [‡] 1 year, 175 days Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Siba Narain Sankar.jpg Justice
Siba Narain Sankar
(1915–his death)
Chief Justice of Orissa High Court
(Acting)
Delhi 17 April 19767 February 1977296 days
14 Harcharan Singh Brar ex CM.png Harcharan Singh Brar
(1922–2009)
MLA from Punjab
Punjab 7 February 197722 September 1977 [§] [ε] 227 days
15 Pt Bhagwat Dayal Sharma.JPG Bhagwat Dayal Sharma
(1918–1993)
Chief Minister of Haryana
Haryana 23 September 197730 April 1980 [§] [ζ] 2 years, 220 days Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
16 C M Poonacha.gif C. M. Poonacha
(1910–1990)
Governor of Madhya Pradesh
Karnataka 30 April 198030 September 1980153 days
No image (male).svg Justice
Sukanta Kishore Ray
(1918–2002)
CChief Justice of Orissa High Court
(Acting)
Orissa 1 October 19803 November 198033 days
(16) C M Poonacha.gif C. M. Poonacha
(1910–1990)
Governor of Madhya Pradesh
Karnataka 4 November 198024 June 19821 year, 232 days
Ranganath Mishra.png Justice
Ranganath Misra
(1926–2012)
Chief Justice of Orissa High Court
(Acting)
Orissa 25 June 198231 August 198267 days
(16) C M Poonacha.gif C. M. Poonacha
(1910–1990)
Governor of Madhya Pradesh
Karnataka 1 September 198217 August 1983350 days
(Total 3 years, 5 days)
Zail Singh
17 Bishambhar Nath Pande.jpg Bishambhar Nath Pande
(1906–1998)
MP from Rajya Sabha,Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh 17 August 198320 November 1988 [‡] 5 years, 95 days
Saiyid Nurul Hasan 16 (cropped).jpg Saiyid Nurul Hasan
(1921–1993)
Governor of West Bengal
until 20 March 1989
Uttar Pradesh 20 November 198820 March 19891 year, 78 days Ramaswamy Venkataraman
1820 March 19896 February 1990 [§] [η]
19 Yagya Dutt Sharma.jpg Yagya Dutt Sharma
(1922–1996)
MP from Gurdaspur, Punjab
Punjab 7 February 19901 February 1993 [‡] 2 years, 360 days
Saiyid Nurul Hasan 16 (cropped).jpg Saiyid Nurul Hasan
(1921–1993)
Governor of West Bengal
(Additional Charge)
Uttar Pradesh 1 February 199331 May 1993119 days
(Total 1 year, 197 days)
Shankar Dayal Sharma
20 B. Satya Narayan Reddy portrait.jpg B. Satya Narayan Reddy
(1927–2012)
Governor of Uttar Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh 1 June 199317 June 19952 years, 16 days
21 Gopala Ramanujam.jpg Gopala Ramanujam
(1915–2001)
Governor of Goa
Tamil Nadu 18 June 199530 January 19971 year, 226 days
K. V. Raghunatha Reddy (cropped).jpg K. V. Raghunatha Reddy
(1924–2002)
Governor of West Bengal

(Additional Charge)
Andhra Pradesh 31 January 199712 February 199712 days
(21) Gopala Ramanujam.jpg Gopala Ramanujam
(1915–2001)
Governor of Goa
Tamil Nadu 13 February 199713 December 1997303 days
(Total 2 years, 164 days)
K. V. Raghunatha Reddy (cropped).jpg K. V. Raghunatha Reddy
(1924–2002)
Governor of West Bengal
(Additional Charge)
Andhra Pradesh 13 December 199727 April 1998135 days K. R. Narayanan
The Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Dr. C. Rangarajan addressing a press conference on 'Economic Review 2012-13', in New Delhi on April 23, 2013 (cropped).jpg C. Rangarajan
(born 1932)
Governor of Andhra Pradesh
(Additional Charge)
Tamil Nadu 27 April 199814 November 19991 year, 201 days
22 Colour photo of M M Rajendran.png M. M. Rajendran
IAS (Retd)
(1935–2023)
Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu 15 November 199917 November 20045 years, 2 days
23 The Governor of Karnataka, Shri Rameshwar Thakur in Bangalore on January 13, 2008.jpg Rameshwar Thakur
(1925–2015)
Union Minister of State in Finance
Jharkhand 18 November 200421 August 2007 [§] [θ] 2 years, 276 days A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
24 Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare 1.jpg Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare
(1928–2024)
MP From Rajya Sabha,Maharastra
Maharashtra 21 August 200720 March 20135 years, 211 days Pratibha Patil
25 Governor S. C. Jamir with CM Naveen Patnaik and President Kovind (cropped).jpg S. C. Jamir
(born 1931)
Chief Minister of Nagaland
Nagaland 21 March 201320 March 20184 years, 364 days Pranab Mukherjee
The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Satya Pal Malik calling on the Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh, in New Delhi on October 10, 2018 (cropped).JPG Satya Pal Malik
(1946–2025)
Governor of Bihar
(Additional Charge)
Uttar Pradesh 21 March 201828 May 201868 days Ram Nath Kovind
26 Collage of Ratha Jatra and Head of States Governor and CM (cropped).jpg Ganeshi Lal
(born 1941)
MLA from Haryana
Haryana 29 May 201830 October 20235 years, 154 days
27 Raghubar Das with Jual Oram (cropped).jpg Raghubar Das
(born 1955)
Chief Minister of Jharkhand
Jharkhand 31 October 20232 January 2025 [‡] 1 year, 63 days Droupadi Murmu
28 Shri Kambhampati Hari Babu.jpg Kambhampati Hari Babu
(born 1953)
Governor of Mizoram
Andhra Pradesh 3 January 2025Incumbent235 days
  1. Transferred as the Governor of West Bengal
  2. Transferred as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh
  3. Transferred as the Governor of Rajasthan
  4. Resigned to become the Vice President of India
  5. Transferred as the Governor of Haryana
  6. Transferred as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh
  7. Transferred as the Governor of West Bengal
  8. Transferred as the Governor of Karnataka

Timeline

See also