A new governor for Manipur, a Congress ruled state, is yet to be appointed. This is despite the fact that the incumbent Vinod Kumar Duggal had tendered resignation on August 27 and the state government had given him a touching farewell.The inordinate delay on the part of the union government is understandable since it is no easy task to find a governor with a military or police background for the insurgency afflicted states ofthe northeast. For a long time persons with such backgrounds had been sent as governors. Some governors who knew that they will not come to the expectation of the central leaders had preferred to resign.Duggal who was a secretary in the union home ministry fit the bills and knew where the shoe pinches. It was expected that he would stick long in the gubernatorial office here. However he became the 9th governor to tender resignation in the changed political climate.When Duggal resigned in Imphal the gubernatorial office in Mizoram also fell vacant. He was given the additional charge of Mizoram, another Congress ruled state, as the 13th governor on August 8following the sacking of Kamala Beniwal. Beniwal, the governor of Rajasthan was transferred to Mizoram on July 9 as the 12th governor.However for unexplained reasons she was sacked on August 6. Vakkom B. Purushothaman, the governor of Mizoram, had been transferred on July 6 as the governor of Nagaland. As one outfit has been holding talks with the union government and another one had signed ceasefire though peace talks are yet to begin officials feel that Nagaland is a peaceful state. However the governor resigned on July 11 saying that he was not consulted before he was transferred to Nagaland. P.B. Acharya, a BJP strongman who has been in charge of the NE region for a long time was later made the governor of Nagaland. K. Sankaranarayan was made the governor of Mizoram on August 24. For reasons best known to him he resigned the same day. The centre is believed to be in search of persons of military, police and intelligence service background for the gubernatorial offices in Mizoram and Manipur.
