Tuesday, March 11, 2014

State Administration - Governor of India

Governor
United states of America conducts all-encompassing election preparations to fill the voids of state governors. Have you ever wondered why we don't have an election for the post of governor? The answer is simple. Governor is just a mere guardian of the state. He is the constitutional head of state government. In a poetic sense, he is the guardian angel of people. He is the side kick of president. Just like the comic book side kicks, he doesn't get many appreciation from the crowd. A state cannot function without a governor. Constitution says, there must be a governor as the head of state. The reason why we don't conduct election for the governor post is, constitution makers didn't want the following things to happen.
  1. Election is always a clash between different groups of people. If we elect a governor through public elections, there is a swollen possibility of him being biased. A state cannot function properly, if the chief minister and governor represent two different view points on most things. It will be like the fight of Jack sparrow and Barbosa on the bed of that dead-old king.
  2. Elected governors might not have the same kinship with the president like that of nominated governors. Remember, A governor is someone the president can count on. He is like an integral part of the central governance. The power of central administration will loose its knots over the state legislations.
  3. And this ofcourse- Election is too damn expensive.
May be this is why, when the first Union ministry of National Front came in force (1989), VP Sing requested the resignation of all governors. After two years, congress party won the election and Narasimha Rao changed 14 Governors, who were appointed by the previous government. However, this is not considered as unconstitutional. Obviously there is nothing unconstitutional about it. A well organized, well equipped, well maintained governing system in the root is essential for the stability of a powerful central government.

So, what exactly is the job of a governor? We will discuss it in the next class :)

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