Who Is Gulab Chand Kataria, New Governor Of Punjab

Gulab Chand Kataria, 79, is a BJP veteran from Rajasthan. (File)

Gulab Chand Kataria has replaced Banwarilal Purohit as the Governor of Punjab. Lakshman Prasad Acharya takes over from Mr Kataria as the Governor of Assam with the additional charge of Manipur. President Droupadi Murmu appointed six new Governors and shifted three on Saturday night. 

Mr Kataria, 79, is a BJP veteran from Rajasthan.

Who is Gulab Chand Kataria?

1. Gulab Chand Kataria was born to the Hukmi Chand Kataria and the Lahari Bai on October 13, 1944. He got his Master’s degree in Geography from Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur. He also studied Law at the same university. He is married to Anita Kataria. 

2. Mr Kataria is deeply rooted in the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. A BJP veteran, he holds considerable sway in the Mewar-Wagad region in the south of Rajasthan. 

3. He has been in politics for over four decades. In 1977, Gulab Chand Kataria was first elected MLA from Udaipur on a Janata Party ticket. In 1980, he was re-elected as a BJP candidate. An eight-time Udaipur MLA, he also represented the constituency in 1989 in the Lok Sabha. 

4. Mr Kataria, who was the 31st Governor of Assam, has previously served as the Home Minister of Rajasthan and was the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly.

5. Mr Kataria was booked by the CBI in connection with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter killing but was found not guilty by the court. The court said the evidence against them was “insufficient”. Mr Kataria, who was the home minister of Rajasthan, was accused of being part of the conspiracy to eliminate Sohrabuddin at the behest of the marble lobby in the state.