Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu has appointed former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian Braj Mohan Ram as the new Governor of Odisha, succeeding Hari Babu Kambhampati.
The appointment was announced on October 12, 2026, as part of a reshuffle involving governors in six states. Ram will assume office on the date he formally takes charge, according to the official communiqué issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Braj Mohan Ram ji brings experience in state and national politics to the constitutional post. He entered electoral politics in 1991, when he was elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly on a BJP ticket. He represented the constituency until 1995, before moving to national politics.
In 1996, Ram was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Palamu parliamentary constituency, then in undivided Bihar. He retained the seat in the 1998 and 1999 general elections, serving three consecutive terms in Parliament until 2004. Jharkhand was created as a separate state in November 2000, and Palamu subsequently became part of Jharkhand.
Born on January 1, 1958, in Chandwa, in present-day Latehar district of Jharkhand, Ram graduated from Ranchi University, according to published biographical accounts. His political career has included legislative service and organisational responsibilities within the BJP.
He has been associated with the party’s Scheduled Caste Morcha in Jharkhand. A report by Press Trust of India also described his involvement with the Dhobi Mahasangh and efforts to establish educational institutions in Chandwa. These activities form part of his reported grassroots and community work, although a comprehensive official record detailing his individual achievements was not available in the sources reviewed.
As Governor, Ram will serve as Odisha’s constitutional head. The office includes responsibilities such as appointing the Chief Minister in accordance with constitutional conventions, summoning and proroguing the state legislature, and acting on bills passed by the legislature under the provisions of the Constitution. In most matters, the Governor acts on the aid and advice of the elected Council of Ministers, subject to constitutionally recognised areas of discretion.
Mr.Ram succeeds Kambhampati, who assumed office as Odisha Governor in January 2025 after Raghubar Das left the post in December 2024.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi congratulated Ram on his appointment in a post on X, expressing confidence that his guidance and support would contribute to the state’s efforts to build a prosperous, inclusive and developed Odisha.
The October 12 reshuffle also moved Om Prakash Mathur from Sikkim to Keralam and Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar from Keralam to Tamil Nadu. Sudha Yadav was appointed Governor of Karnataka, Dhal Singh Bisen was named Governor of Uttarakhand, and Dushyant Gautam was appointed Governor of Sikkim. The appointments will take effect when the respective appointees assume charge.
Mr.Ram’s appointment brings a former three-term Lok Sabha member to the Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar. His performance in the constitutional role will be judged by how he discharges his responsibilities and engages with Odisha’s elected government and institutions.
