National security adviser M. K. Narayanan has ben appointed governor of West Bengal, former home minister Shivraj Patil of Punjab and former Puducherry chief minister M.O.H.Farooq of Jharkhand, according to a communique issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan late on Saturday night.
Former foreign secretaries Shyam Saran and Shiv Shankar Menon are believed to be in the race for the NSA's post, which Narayanan held for five years.
On Saturday, the government appointed and reshuffled eight governors. Former defence secretary Shekhar Dutt was named governor of Naxalite-hit Chhatisgarh, replacing ESL Narasimhan, a former Intelligence Bureau chief. Narasimhan, who held additional charge of Andhra Pradesh, will serve the rest of his term in Hyderabad.
Although Rajya Sabha member Mohsina Kidwai was being mentioned for a gubernatorial assignment in Jharkhand, the party decided against it as it did not want to lose a seat in the Upper House. Instead, it opted for Farooq, who takes over from K. Sankaranarayanan who has been shifted to Maharashtra, where S.C.Jamir has completed his term.
Himachal Pradesh governor Prabha Rau has been moved to Rajasthan, while Urmila Singh, Congress leader from Madhya Pradesh, has been appointed Himachal governor.
