New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Governor B.L. Joshi submitted his resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee, officials at Raj Bhawan said.
The 78-year-old retired Indian Police Service officer was the Uttar Pradesh governor since 2009 and had enjoyed a good relationship with two successive chief ministers, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav.
Karnataka Governor HR Bhardawaj and Assam's JB Patnaik met President Pranab Mukherjee during the day.
West Bengal governor MK Narayanan is likely to quit tomorrow, say sources. Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva met with the PM this morning, inciting speculation.
The move came after the NDA government was mulling to change the Governors of the five state - Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Kerala Governor and former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit refused to comment. She said, "I can't react to rumors."
She was appointed as the Governor of Kerala following poll debacle in the Assembly elections in December last year.
According to sources, BL Joshi had earlier resisted the move, unlike others.
Earlier, sources added that a change was in the offing in the poll bound state of Maharashtra. BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi was being seen as front runner for the post.
While the government is keen on asserting its prerogative to select Governors, it is inclined to spare those who have just a few months left before their term expires.
In 2004, the UPA government's decision to axe BJP-appointed governors led to a major political showdown.
A BJP MP moved Supreme Court, which ruled in May 2010 that governors were not employees of the union government and cannot be removed "in an arbitrary and capricious manner with the change of power.
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