Sudha Yadav was sworn in as Karnataka Governor on Friday at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru, formally taking charge from Thaawar Chand Gehlot, who had held the post since July 11, 2021.
Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court Vibhu Bakhru administered the oath of office at the Governor’s House. Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh read out Yadav’s Warrant of Appointment before the ceremony. After taking the oath, Yadav received a guard of honour.
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, members of his cabinet, senior administrative officials and police officers attended the swearing-in ceremony. The appointment places Yadav at the head of the state’s constitutional office, which operates alongside the elected government in matters assigned to the Governor under the Constitution.
President Droupadi Murmu appointed Yadav as Karnataka Governor on Monday. The 61-year-old is a former Lok Sabha member, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s parliamentary board and a former member of the National Commission for Backward Classes.
Yadav entered public life after the death of her husband, BSF Deputy Commandant Sukhbir Singh Yadav, in the 1999 Kargil War. She contested and won the 1999 Lok Sabha election from Mahendragarh and remained a Member of Parliament until 2004. She served on the National Commission for Backward Classes from 2019 to 2022.
She joined the BJP after her husband’s death and became a member of the party’s parliamentary board in August 2022. Her appointment gives Karnataka its second woman Governor. The first was VS Ramadevi, who held the office from December 1999 to August 2002.
Yadav holds a doctorate in Chemistry from IIT Roorkee. Her assumption of office comes as Karnataka’s Governor’s House begins a new tenure under a former parliamentarian with experience in national-level political and institutional roles.
The swearing-in ceremony marks the formal start of Yadav’s term. The Governor’s office and the state administration will now operate under the new appointment, with official constitutional and administrative responsibilities transferring from Gehlot.
