Ajay Kumar Bhalla - 20th Governor of Manipur

Ajay Kumar Bhalla

     Ajay Kumar Bhalla, born on November 26, 1960, in Jalandhar, Punjab, is a distinguished Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 1984 batch of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. He holds a Master of Science in Botany from the University of Delhi, an MBA from the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, and an M.Phil. in Social Sciences from Punjab University.

Throughout his career, Bhalla has held several significant positions in the Indian government:

• Union Home Secretary: He served as the Union Home Secretary from August 23, 2019, to August 22, 2024.

• Secretary, Ministry of Power: From June 2017 to July 2019, Bhalla was the Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Government of India.

• Director General of Foreign Trade: He held the position of Director General of Foreign Trade from October 2016 to June 2017, with additional charge as Director of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).

• Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce: Bhalla served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce from April 2015.

• Joint Secretary, Ministry of Coal: He worked as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Coal from July 2010 and was promoted to Additional Secretary in January 2015.

• Director (Ports), Department of Shipping: Between May 2002 and May 2007, Bhalla served as Director (Ports) and later as Joint Secretary (Ports) in the Department of Shipping, overseeing port operations and human resource development matters of major ports in India.

    On January 3, 2025, Ajay Kumar Bhalla was sworn in as the 20th Governor of Manipur, succeeding Lakshman Prasad Acharya.

    Bhalla's extensive experience in various administrative roles has been instrumental in shaping policies and managing key sectors within the Indian government.

Governors of Manipur - A Complete Timeline

Map of Manipur

     The position of Governor in Manipur was established on January 21, 1972. Since then, the state has been served by a series of distinguished individuals in this role. Below is a comprehensive list of the Governors of Manipur, along with their respective tenures:

1. B. K. Nehru: January 21, 1972 – September 20, 1973
2. L. P. Singh: September 21, 1973 – August 11, 1981
3. S. M. H. Burney: August 12, 1981 – June 11, 1984
4. K. V. Krishna Rao: June 12, 1984 – July 7, 1989
5. Chintamani Panigrahi: July 10, 1989 – March 19, 1993
6. K. V. Raghunatha Reddy (Additional Charge): March 20, 1993 – August 30, 1993
7. V. K. Nayar: August 31, 1993 – December 22, 1994
8. O. N. Shrivastava: December 23, 1994 – December 1, 1999
9. Ved Marwah: December 2, 1999 – June 11, 2003
10. Arvind Dave: June 12, 2003 – August 5, 2004
11. Shivinder Singh Sidhu: August 6, 2004 – July 22, 2008
12. Gurbachan Jagat: July 23, 2008 – July 22, 2013
13. Ashwani Kumar (Additional Charge): July 23, 2013 – December 31, 2013
14. Vinod Duggal: December 31, 2013 – August 28, 2014
15. K. K. Paul (Additional Charge): September 16, 2014 – May 15, 2015
16. Syed Ahmed: May 16, 2015 – September 27, 2015
17. V. Shanmuganathan (Additional Charge): September 30, 2015 – August 17, 2016
18. Najma Heptulla: August 21, 2016 – May 1, 2018
19. Jagdish Mukhi (Additional Charge): May 2, 2018 – May 30, 2018
20. Najma Heptulla: May 31, 2018 – June 26, 2019
21. Padmanabha Acharya (Additional Charge): June 27, 2019 – July 23, 2019
22. Najma Heptulla: July 24, 2019 – August 10, 2021
23. Ganga Prasad (Additional Charge): August 12, 2021 – August 26, 2021
24. La. Ganesan: August 27, 2021 – February 12, 2023
25. Anusuiya Uikey: February 12, 2023 – July 30, 2024
26. Lakshman Prasad Acharya (Additional Charge): July 31, 2024 – January 2, 2025
27. Ajay Kumar Bhalla: January 3, 2025 – Present

Ajay Kumar Bhalla

    This list reflects the succession of gubernatorial leadership in Manipur, highlighting both full-time appointees and those who held additional charge during transitional periods.