BJP Veteran Om Prakash Mathur Appointed Kerala Governor

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 13 : Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Rajya Sabha member Om Prakash Mathur has been appointed as the new Governor of Kerala, succeeding Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, as part of a gubernatorial reshuffle.

Mathur, who previously served as the Governor of Sikkim, brings decades of experience in the BJP's organisational structure, having held several key positions at the state and national levels. His political career includes election management across multiple states, two terms in the Rajya Sabha and a tenure as the party's all-India vice-president.

Born on January 2, 1952, in Bedal village in Rajasthan's Pali district, Mathur graduated from Rajasthan University. He began his association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1972 as a Pracharak and worked in various districts of Rajasthan until 1979. From 1979 to 1989, he served as the Sangathan Mantri of the Kisan Sangh. According to his official profile, he was also imprisoned for 11 months during the Emergency.

Mathur subsequently rose through the BJP's organisational ranks in Rajasthan, serving as general secretary (organisation) from 1989 to 2002. He later held several national-level responsibilities, including those of all-India secretary and general secretary. He was also a member of the BJP's National Executive from 1989 to 2024.

In 2008, Mathur was appointed president of the BJP's Rajasthan unit and entered Parliament as a Rajya Sabha member. He served his first term in the Upper House from 2008 to 2014 and returned for a second term from 2016 to 2022, during which he chaired the House Committee.

He served as the BJP's all-India vice-president from 2015 to 2022 and was a member of the party's Central Election Committee from 2022 to 2024.

Over the years, Mathur was entrusted with overseeing the BJP's organisational activities and election campaigns in several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. These assignments gave him extensive experience in party organisation and electoral management.

The appointment marks a change at Kerala Lok Bhavan following Arlekar's appointment as Governor of Tamil Nadu. Dushyant Gautam will succeed Mathur as Governor of Sikkim.