Meghalaya Governor post for CH Vijayashankar: a karyakarta gets rewarded

In a surprise move, President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday (July 28) appointed former Karnataka minister C H Vijayashankar (67), as governor of Meghalaya, making him the sixth prominent politician from Karnataka to get this prestigious post.

From Wadiyar to Vijayashankar

The last ruling Maharaja of Mysore, Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar had served as the first governor of the reorganised Mysore State from November 1, 1956 to May 4, 1964. He was later appointed as governor of Madras from May 4, 1964 to June 28, 1966.

The late Dalit politician, B Rachaiah was appointed as the governor of Himachal Pradesh from February 1990 to December 1990. Later, he was shifted to Kerala as governor, a post he held from December 1990 to 1995.

Former Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna served as the 19th governor of Maharashtra from 2004 to 2008. Congress veteran Margaret Nazareth Alva was the governor for a string of states. She served as the 17th governor of Goa, the 23rd governor of Gujarat, the 19th governor of Rajasthan and 4th Governor of Uttarakhand.

The late justice M Rama Jois, a legal luminary, who was also a Rajya Sabha member, served as governor of Bihar and Jharkhand.

Three decades of political journey

In 2024, it is the turn of Kuruba leader Vijayashankar from Karnataka to take on the mantle of a governor.

Vijayashankar's chequered political career spans over three decades. This senior politician had been with the Bharatiya Janata Party for a long time serving in various capacities. He quit the BJP in 2017, with which he was associated with for over two decades and returned to the Congress, which he had quit back in 1990.

Elected as an MLA in 1994 from Hunsuru Assembly segment, Vijayashankar, also contested the Lok Sabha polls and got elected as the Member of Parliament from Mysuru in 1998 and again in 2004, when he defeated Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar of the erstwhile royal family.

But he lost the 2014 Lok Sabha elections fighting on a BJP ticket from Hassan constituency against JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, who was very popular. Again in the 2019 general election, Vijayashankar contested from the Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency on a Congress ticket and lost to BJP’s Pratap Simha. Next year, Vijayashankar returned to BJP fold, claiming "he had been sidelined in the party".

Karnataka state BJP leaders are elated with Vijayashankar occupying the governor’s chair in Meghalaya, as he had played a pivotal role in BJP making inroads into the Congress stronghold of Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency.

From Haveri to Hunsur

Basically, Vijayashankar is not a native of Mysuru. He was born in Ranebennur of Haveri district, did his graduation in arts and later moved to Hunsur in 1978 to support his sister’s family after the death of his brother-in-law – a police officer.

Vijayashankar was running a cement marketing shop in Hunsur, before entering politics by joining the Congress party and was made president of Congress Youth Wing. He left Congress in 1991 and contested in the Hunsur by-polls in 1991 and lost. He again stood from Hunsur and became an MLA.

Kuruba representation

According to BJP sources, former minister and Kuruba community leader K S Eshwarappa was considered for a governor’s post, but his eventual expulsion from the party in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls forced the party to opt for another Kuruba leader, Vijayashankar.

But, political observers believe it is also a form of recognition for the services rendered by a loyal karyakarta.

A loyal karyakarta gets rewarded

Reacting to the party’s grand gesture of making him a governor, Vijayashankar told the media, “I thank the Prime Minister and my party for bestowing on me such a big responsibility, by offering a constitutional post. The party has recognised my services as a grassroots-level worker. I never expected that a humble worker like me would get such a huge responsibility.”

He also said that PM Modi personally acknowledged his contribution to the party and the party recognises and values a disciplined karyakarta (worker) dedicated to strengthening the party.