Bhagat Singh Koshyari | |
|---|---|
 Koshyari in 2019 | |
| 22nd Governor of Maharashtra | |
| In office 5 September 2019 – 17 February 2023 | |
| Chief Minister | |
| Preceded by | C. Vidyasagar Rao |
| Succeeded by | Ramesh Bais |
| Governor of Goa (Additional Charge) | |
| In office 18 August 2020 – 6 July 2021 | |
| President | |
| Chief Minister | Pramod Sawant |
| Preceded by | Satya Pal Malik |
| Succeeded by | P. S. Sreedharan Pillai |
| 2nd Chief Minister of Uttaranchal | |
| In office 30 October 2001 – 1 March 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Nityanand Swami |
| Succeeded by | N. D. Tiwari |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 26 November 2008 – 16 May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Harish Rawat |
| Succeeded by | Manorama Dobriyal Sharma |
| Constituency | Uttarakhand |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 16 May 2014 – 23 May 2019 | |
| Preceded by | K. C. Singh Baba |
| Succeeded by | Ajay Bhatt |
| Constituency | Nainital–Udhamsingh Nagar |
| 1'stLeader of Opposition, Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 13 March 2002 – 17 December 2003 | |
| Cabinet Minister,Government of Uttarakhand | |
| In office 9 November 2000 – 29 October 2001 | |
| Member ofInterim Uttaranchal Assembly | |
| In office 9 November 2000 – 1 March 2002 | |
| Constituency | MLC |
| Member ofUttaranchal Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1 March 2002 – 27 November 2008 | |
| Succeeded by | Sher Singh Gariya |
| Constituency | Kapkot |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1942-06-17)17 June 1942 (age 83) |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Education | Master of Arts |
| Alma mater | Agra University (MA) |
| Occupation | Teacher,Author,Journalist |
Bhagat Singh Koshyari (born 17 June 1942) is an Indian politician who served as the 22ndgovernor of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2023.[1][2]AnRSS veteran, Koshyari served as National Vice-President of BJP and party's 3rd State president for Uttarakhand. He also served as 2ndChief Minister of Uttarakhand (formerly Uttaranchal) from 2001 to 2002 and thereafter, was the firstleader of the opposition in theUttarakhand Legislative Assembly from 2002 to 2003. He also served as anMLC inUttar Pradesh Legislative Council (when Uttarakhand was part of undivided Uttar Pradesh; later continued in Uttarakhand Legislative Council) andMLA inUttarakhand Legislative Assembly. He later served as anMP inRajya Sabha from 2008 to 2014 from Uttarakhand and then theMP in the16th Lok Sabha fromNainital-Udhamsingh Nagar constituency, earning him the distinction of being elected in both houses of State Legislature and both houses of National Parliament respectively.
AsGovernor of Maharashtra, Koshyari tainted his legacy when he ignored rules and swore inDevendra Fadnavis as CM andAjit Pawar as Deputy CM of Maharashtra without his party's consent. He was on the post for less than 80 hours, becoming Deputy CM with the shortest tenure in Devendra Fadnavis led government. Koshyari then played singular role in the dissolution of theMaha Vikas Aghadi government. This action received a rap from the SC and was termed as Illegal by the Supreme Court of India in their order dated 11 May 2023.[3]
Bhagat Singh Koshyari was born on 17 June 1942 to Gopal Singh Koshyari and Motima Devi at Palanadhura Chetabgarh inBageshwar district of thenUnited Provinces inBritish India (presentUttarakhand).[4]
Koshyari holds a master's degree in English and studied at Almora College, Almora (then affiliated withAgra University, now S.S.J. Campus Almora ofKumaon University). During this period, Koshyari was also a general secretary of the students' union of Almora College, Almora, between 1961 and 1962. He has also represented the Executive Council of Kumaon University, from 1979 to 1982, 1982 to 1985 and 1988 to 1991.[4]
He has had a successful career as a teacher and journalist. He had worked as a lecturer at Raja Inter College,Raja Ka Rampur,Etah district, Uttar Pradesh for few years. Koshyari is a founder and managing editor ofParvat Piyush, a weekly published fromPithoragarh, Uttarakhand since 1975. He has also published two books,Uttaranchal Pradesh Kyun? andUttaranchal Sangharsh Evam Samadhan.[4]
He joined theRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He took part in the struggle against theEmergency and was imprisoned he was detained inAlmora andFatehgarh Central Jail under theMaintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), from 3 July 1975 to 23 March 1977.[4]
In May 1997 he became a member ofUttar Pradesh Legislative Council, upper house of legislature of Uttar Pradesh. In 2000, he was appointed minister of Energy, Irrigation, Law, and Legislative Affairs of the newly created state of Uttaranchal. In 2001 he replacedNityanand Swami as the chief minister of Uttarakhand.[5] He has also served as the President of the BJP of his state. As a result of his party's defeat in the2002 Assembly elections, he resigned in March 2002 as the chief minister. However, he was elected from Kapkot assembly constituency,[6][7] and became the leader of the opposition of theUttarakhand Legislative Assembly, till 2007.
In the2007 Assembly elections in Uttarakhand, he was elected again from Kapkot assembly constituency.[7][8] However, despite the BJP's victory, Koshyari was deprived of the Chief Minister's post by his chief rival,Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri. Media reports have cited that the BJP's central leadership was biased for Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, despite Koshyari supported by RSS and majority of the elected MLAs. In November 2008 he was elected a member of the Rajya Sabha from Uttarakhand and remained a member till his election to the Lok Sabha in 2014.[9] He has been appointed a national vice-president of BJP and also BJP chief in Uttarakhand.[10]
In the2014 Indian general election, he was elected to the16th Lok Sabha fromNainital Uddhamsingh Nagar, Lok Sabha constituency.[11]
On 5 September 2019, he was appointed as the Governor ofMaharashtra. Further, in August 2020 he was also appointed as the Governor ofGoa[12] (additional charge). He stepped down as the Governor of Maharashtra on 12 February 2023, a month after he met Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and expressed his desire to resign from his post and retire,[13] after many decades as a politician and social activist.
He founded various schools in Uttarakhand[14] (Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Pithoragarh, Vivekanand Vidya Mandir Inter College, Pithoragarh; and Saraswati Vihar Higher Secondary School,Nainital).
Even after years in politics, he remains steadfast in his dedication to education. He is served as theGovernor of Maharashtra and is the (ex-officio)Chancellor of theUniversity of Mumbai. From 2019 till 2023,(during his tenure as the Governor), there have been several crucial developments in the state's higher education atmosphere. These range from the introduction of the NEP 2020, and the setting up of many state cluster universities -Dr. Homi Bhabha State University &HSNC University, Mumbai of which he was the (ex-officio)[15]chancellor.[16][17][18][19][20]
While Koshyari served as the governor, he sparked a row in a speech by saying, "There will be no money left, andMumbai will cease to exist as thefinancial capital of India, ifRajasthani-Marwaris andGujaratis are removed from these areas ofMaharashtra". This statement received large backlash from the opposition parties; even the rulingBJP distanced itself from the situation. Koshyari later apologised for hurting the sentiments ofMarathi people.[21][22] Shiv Sena ChiefUddhav Thackeray lashed out to the Governor for his insensitive and senile remarks terming it an insult to Marathi pride.[23]
In November 2022, while giving a speech to students of a university, attended by NCP leaderSharad Pawar and Union MinisterNitin Gadkari, Governor Koshyari calledShivaji an olden days idol, sparking a row of discontent over whole Maharashtra.[24]
no. 482: 26/11/2008 to 25/11/2014
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Lok Sabha | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNainital–Udhamsingh Nagar 2014 - 2019 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Uttaranchal 30 October 2001 – 1 March 2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Maharashtra 5 September 2019 - 17 February 2023 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Goa Additional Charge 18 August 2020 - 6 July 2021 | Succeeded by |
