Governor of Kerala is the constitutional head of the state, Kerala. He or she has similar power at the state level as that of the President at Union level. The Governor is appointed by the President of India for a term of 5 years. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was the 1st Governor of Kerala and P. Sathasivam is the incumbent Governor.
The Governors of Kerala are as follows:
Burgula Ramakrishna Rao
Burgula Ramakrishna Rao became the 1st Governor of Kerala from 22nd November 1956 to 1st July 1960. He was also the first Chief Minister of Hyderabad. He was a freedom fighter who participated in the Quit India Movement in 1942.
V. V. Giri
V. V. Giri was the 2nd Governor of Kerala from 1st July 1960 to 2nd April 1965. He was the 4th President of India and was honoured with the Bharat Ratna Award in 1975.
Ajith Prasad Jain
Ajith Prasad Jain served as the 3rd Governor of Kerala from 2nd April 1965 to 6th February 1966. He took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930.
Bhagwan Sahay
Bhagwan Sahay became the 4th Governor of Kerala from 6th February 1966 to 15th May 1967. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, and was appointed an OBE in the 1945 Birthday Honours.
V. Viswanathan
V. Viswanathan was the 5th Governor of Kerala from 15th May 1967 to 1st April 1973. He was also the Chief Commissioner of Bhopal and Delhi.
N. N. Wanchoo
N. N. Wanchoo served as the 6th Governor of Kerala from 1st April 1973 to 10th October 1977.
Jyothi Venkatachalam
Jyothi Venkatachalam became the 7th Governor of Kerala from 14th October 1977 to 27th October 1982. She was the 1st female Governor of Kerala.
P. Ramachandran
P. Ramachandran was the 8th Governor of Kerala from 27th October 1982 to 23rd February 1988.
Ram Dulari Sinha
Ram Dulari Sinha served as the 9th Governor of Kerala from 23rd February 1988 to 12th February 1990. She was a nationalist, freedom fighter, Indian parliamentarian and a Union Minister. She belonged to the Indian National Congress.
Swaroop Singh
Swaroop Singh became the 10th Governor of Kerala from 12th February 1990 to 20th December 1990.
B. Rachaiah
B. Rachaiah was the 11th Governor of Kerala from 20th December 1990 to 9th November 1995.
P. Shiv Shankar
P. Shiv Shankar served as the 12th Governor of Kerala from 12th November 1995 to 1st May 1996. He also served as Governor of Sikkim. He belonged to the Indian National Congress political party. He was also a judge in Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Khurshid Alam Khan
Khurshid Alam Khan became the 13th Governor of Kerala from 5th May 1996 to 25th January 1997. He was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and was associated with Jamia Millia Islamia.
Sukhdev Singh Kang
Sukhdev Singh Kang was the 14th Governor of Kerala from 25th January 1997 to 18th April 2002. He also served as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Sikander Bakht
Sikander Bakht served as the 15th Governor of Kerala from 18th April 2002 to 23rd February 2004. He was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2002.
T. N. Chaturvedi
T. N. Chaturvedi became the 16th Governor of Kerala from 25th February 2004 to 23rd June 2004. He was in Additional Charge after the death of Sikander Bakht.
R. L. Bhatia was the 17th Governor of Kerala from 23rd June 2004 to 10th July 2008. He was a member of the Indian National Congress party.
R. S. Gavai
R. S. Gavai served as the 18th Governor of Kerala from 11th July 2008 to 7th September 2011. He was a recipient of the Kusta Mitra Award, as well as the National Integration Awards for peace and harmony.
M. O. H. Farook
M. O. H. Farook became the 19th Governor of Kerala from 8th September 2011 to 26th January 2012. He participated in the struggle for liberation of Puducherry as a student, during 1953–54 when Puducherry was a French colony.
Hansraj Bhardwaj
Hansraj Bhardwaj was the 20th Governor of Kerala from 26th January 2012 to 22nd March 2013. He was in Additional Charge after the death of M. O. H. Farook.
Nikhil Kumar
Nikhil Kumar served as the 21st Governor of Kerala from 23rd March 2013 to 5th March 2014. He also served as Chief of the National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and as Commissioner of Delhi Police. He was a member of the Indian National Congress party.
Sheila Dikshit
Sheila Dikshit became the 22nd Governor of Kerala from 5th March 2014 to 26th August 2014. She was the longest serving Chief Minister of Delhi, serving for a period of 15 years from 1998 to 2013. She is a member of the Indian National Congress.
P. Sathasivam
P. Sathasivam is the present and the 23rd Governor of Kerala from 2014. He also served as the 40th Chief Justice of India.