Ajay Kumar Bhalla Takes Additional Charge as Governor of Nagaland.
Appointment
In August 2025, the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, appointed Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla as the additional Governor of Nagaland, following the demise of La. Ganesan on August 15, 2025. This appointment took effect immediately.
- Ajay Kumar Bhalla, a 1984-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Assam cadre, currently serves as the Governor of Manipur and now holds dual charge with Nagaland. His vast administrative experience across ministries strengthens his role in constitutional governance.
- He succeeds La. Ganesan, who passed away on August 15, 2025. Ganesan, a senior political leader, had been serving as the Governor of Nagaland since February 2023, and his tenure was marked by efforts to strengthen administrative coordination in the state.
Main Point :- (i) Bhalla previously served as the Secretary of the Ministry of Power (MoP) from 2017 to 2019 and later as the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) from 2019 to 2024, making him one of the longest-serving officers in this position. He played a critical role in policy execution, especially in handling changes post the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
(ii) He was also appointed as Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), and later as Director of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT). Between 2016 and 2017, he also served as Additional Secretary in MoC&I and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Coal.
(iii) In December 2024, Ajay Kumar Bhalla was appointed as the Governor of Manipur and formally assumed office on January 3, 2025. Following the imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur in February 2025, he has been overseeing the state’s administration, in addition to his new role in Nagaland.
About Nagaland
Capital: Kohima
Chief minister: Neiphiu Rio
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