Rajendra Arlekar (born 23 April 1954) is an Indian statesman who is current and 29th Governor of Bihar.[2] He previously served as the 21st Governor of Himachal Pradesh, being the first person serving as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh from Goa. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Goa and a former speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly. He is a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party.

Rajendra Arlekar
29th Governor of Bihar
Assumed office
17 February 2023
PresidentDroupadi Murmu
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Chief MinisterNitish Kumar
Preceded byPhagu Chauhan
21st Governor of Himachal Pradesh
In office
13 July 2021 – 16 February 2023
PresidentRam Nath Kovind
Droupadi Murmu
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Chief MinisterJai Ram Thakur
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
Preceded byBandaru Dattatreya
Succeeded byShiv Pratap Shukla
Cabinet Minister of Forest, Environment and Panchayat
Government of Goa
In office
1 October 2015 – 2017 [1]
Chief MinisterLaxmikant Parsekar
Member of Goa Legislative Assembly
In office
2012–2017
Preceded byDayanand Sopte
Succeeded byManohar Ajgaonkar
ConstituencyPernem
In office
2002–2007
Preceded byJose Philip D'Souza
Succeeded byJose Philip D'Souza
ConstituencyVasco
Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly
In office
2012–2015
Preceded byPratapsingh Rane
Succeeded byAnant Shet
Personal details
Born (1954-04-23) 23 April 1954 (age 70)
Panaji, Portuguese Empire, Portuguese India
(present-day Goa, India)
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
SpouseAnagha Arlekar
Children2
Residence(s)Raj Bhavan, Patna, Bihar, India
ProfessionPolitician
Websitewww.rajendraarlekar.in

Political career

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Arlekar has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since his childhood. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1989. He has been an active member of the Goa BJP since the 1980s. He has held various positions which include the following: General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party, Goa Pradesh. Chairman, Goa Industrial Development Corporation. Chairman, Goa State Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes Financial Development Corporation. General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party, Goa. South Goa President, Bharatiya Janata Party.

When Manohar Parrikar was roped in as the Union Defence Minister in 2014, Arlekar was considered for the next Chief Minister but the Party chose Laxmikant Parsekar as the next Chief Minister instead.

He is credited with making Goa Legislative Assembly paperless, the first state assembly to do so.

In 2015, he was appointed the Minister for Environment and Forests during the reshuffling of the cabinet.

On 6 July 2021, he was appointed Himachal Pradesh's Governor when the incumbent Bandaru Dattatreya was made the governor of Haryana. Arlekar thanked the Party and stated that BJP is a Party where the work of each and every member is recognized.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Pernem MLA Rajendra Arlekar takes oath as minister ia". Times of India. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  2. ^ "New Bihar governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar takes oath". The Hindu. 17 February 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Ex-Goa Speaker Rajendra Arlekar is new Himachal Governor". Lokmat English. IANS. 6 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly
16 March 2012 - 01 October 2015
Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Himachal Pradesh
8 July 2021 - 13 February 2023
Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Bihar
14 February 2023 - Present
Incumbent