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Five states get new Governors, Admiral (retd) DK Joshi made Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

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Five states got new governers

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Madhya Pradesh and Telangana remain under additional charge of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh governors respectively

President Ram Nath Kovind, on Saturday, appointed governors for five states and lieutenant governor for Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The appointments were necessitated as most of these states did not have full-time Governors and the charge was being shared by individuals holding the office in other states.

Banwari Lal Purohit, who was serving as Governor of Assam, has now been appointed as the governor of Tamil Nadu, reliving his Maharashtra counterpart of additional charge of the southern state that he had been holding since August 2016.

Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, who is currently serving as the Lt. Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will replace Purohit in the Raj Bhawan of Assam. Decorated Naval officer, Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi who retired Chief of the Naval Staff in 2014 will take over from Mukhi as the new Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Other new gubernatorial appointments include those of BJP leaders Satya Pal Malik who gets charge of the Raj Bhawan in Bihar and former Bihar legislative council member Ganga Prasad who has been appointed as Governor of Meghalaya, Brigadier (retd) BD Mishra will be the new Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh and Telangana remain under additional charge of the Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh governors respectively and the vacancies are likely to be filled soon.

Banwarilal Purohit

A three-time former Lok Sabha MP from Nagpur (twice as a Congress candidate and once on a BJP ticket), Purohit has also served a minister in the Maharashtra government from 1982 to 1984. He is credited with revival of the English daily ‘The Hitavada’, a newspaper founded by freedom fighter Gopal Krishna Gokhale, which under Purohit’s stewardship in recent years saw new editions being started from Bhopal and Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

Ganga Prasad

Prasad was a key face of the BJP in Bihar, having been a member of the state’s Legislative Council for 18 years after being first elected as an MLC in 1994. Prasad also served as the leader of opposition in the legislative council during the RJD regime of Lalu Prasad Yadav and as leader of the council during the Nitish Kumar-BJP led coalition government.

Admiral (retd) Devendra Kumar Joshi

Admiral DK Joshi was Chief of Naval Staff from August 31, 2012 to February 26, 2014. As Lt Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Joshi returns to the union territory for a second stint, having served earlier as the Commader-in-chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Island Command. A highly decorated Naval officer, Joshi is the recipient of Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and several other honours. He has also previously served as Defence Adviser in the Indian High Commission in Singapore from 1996 to 1999 when former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee led the NDA regime in New Delhi.

Jagdish Mukhi

Formerly a BJP strongman in Delhi, Mukhi had joined active politics during the Emergency and worked. He was a member of the BJP’s previous avatar – the Jana Sangh – and had worked closely with leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani and VK Malhotra in strengthening the BJP in Delhi. Mukhi represented the Janak Puri constituency in the Delhi assembly for a record seven terms between 1980 and 2015. Mukhi faced his lone electoral defeat since becoming an MLA, in 2015 when he lost to Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate Rajesh Rishi in the state polls in which AAP won a record 67 of Delhi’s 70 seats. Mukhi had served as leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly and the state finance minister under BJP chief ministers Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma and Sushma Swaraj but was never considered by his party to lead as its chief ministerial candidate in Delhi despite his personal winning streak as an MLA.

Brigadier (retd)) BD Mishra

Brigadier Mishra began his stint in the Indian Army as an infantry officer in 1961 and retired from the force as a brigadier in 1995. During his 34-year-long career in the forces, he served in several wars and major operations. He had earned then Prime Minister PV Narsimha Rao’s appreciation for his role in the counter-hijack Operation Ashwamedh conducted on April 24 and 25, 1993 that saw 141 hostages aboard and Indian Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft being rescued by NSG Commandos at the Amritsar airport. The lone hijacker, an alleged Hizbul Mujahideen operative identified as Yunus Shah, had been injured in the operation and succumbed to his bullet wounds while being taken to a hospital.

Satya Pal Malik

A former Member of Parliament from the BJP, the 71-year-old Malik has also served as Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha for two terms – from 1980 to 1984 and from 1986 to 1989 – and a Lok Sabha MP for a little over a year, between 1989 and 1990.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Bank holiday on September 14: Banks closed in these cities

Banks will remain closed on September 14 in nine cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, due to Ganesh Chaturthi and related festival observances.

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Bank holidays

The bank holiday on September 14 will affect branches in select cities across India as banks observe a regional holiday for Ganesh Chaturthi and related festival observances.

September 14, 2026, falls on a Monday and is listed as a holiday for Ganesh Chaturthi, Ganesh Puja, Varasiddhi Vinayaka Vrata, Vinayakar Chathurthi and Hartalika in certain banking centres.

Bank holiday on September 14: Full city-wise list

According to the holiday listings, bank branches will remain closed on September 14 in the following centres:

CityFestival/occasion
BelapurGanesh Chaturthi/Ganesh Puja/related observances
BengaluruGanesh Chaturthi/Ganesh Puja/related observances
BhubaneswarGanesh Chaturthi/Ganesh Puja/related observances
ChennaiGanesh Chaturthi/Ganesh Puja/related observances
HyderabadGanesh Chaturthi/Ganesh Puja/related observances
MumbaiGanesh Chaturthi/Ganesh Puja/related observances
NagpurGanesh Chaturthi/Ganesh Puja/related observances
PanajiGanesh Chaturthi/Ganesh Puja/related observances
VijayawadaGanesh Chaturthi/Ganesh Puja/related observances

The holiday is therefore not applicable to bank branches across the entire country. Bank holidays in India vary by state and banking centre, depending on local festivals and occasions.

Why are banks closed on September 14?

September 14 marks Ganesh Chaturthi in 2026. The festival falls on Monday this year, with the date confirmed as September 14.

The banking holiday calendar uses different names for the observance across centres, including Ganesh Chaturthi, Ganesh Puja, Varasiddhi Vinayaka Vrata, Vinayakar Chathurthi and Hartalika.

The National Stock Exchange’s 2026 holiday circular also lists September 14 as a trading holiday for Ganesh Chaturthi.

Will online banking services work on September 14?

The closure applies to physical bank branches in the affected centres. Customers can generally continue to use digital banking channels such as mobile banking, internet banking and UPI, although specific services can depend on the bank.

Customers who need to visit a branch for cash deposits, withdrawals, account-related work or other in-person services should check the holiday status of their particular branch before visiting.

What about banks in other cities?

Banks in cities that are not covered by the September 14 regional holiday are not automatically closed because of Ganesh Chaturthi.

The bank holiday calendar is centre-specific, so customers should check their bank’s branch holiday schedule before planning a branch visit.

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Harish Rawat quits Congress posts after ED raid on aide

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat resigned from two Congress posts after the ED searched his aide Chandan Singh Jeena’s premises in a money laundering probe.

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Harish Rawat

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat has resigned from two organisational positions in the Congress after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at the premises of his personal assistant, Chandan Singh Jeena.

Rawat announced his decision on Friday, saying he did not want the controversy surrounding his close associate to weaken the Congress’s campaign against corruption. He stepped down as a member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee.

The ED searches were linked to a money laundering investigation concerning alleged irregularities in the 2016 Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC).

What ED recovered from Rawat’s aide

The ED carried out searches at multiple locations in Dehradun, including premises connected with former UKSSSC officials, a private computer agency involved in processing OMR sheets and alleged middlemen.

According to the agency, its search of Jeena’s residence resulted in the seizure of Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash, gold coins and chains weighing around 200.5 grams, and 12 luxury watches.

The gold comprised 13 coins and seven chains. The watches included brands such as Rolex, Rado, Piaget, Movado, Tissot and Casio Edifice, according to the ED.

The agency also said bank accounts belonging to Jeena and his family members containing Rs 52.16 lakh were frozen. His mobile phone was seized for forensic examination.

The ED alleged that Jeena had made substantial cash expenditures for which no legitimate source of income could be established. It also said unaccounted cash, jewellery and other valuables were recovered from some former UKSSSC officials and associated individuals.

What is the UKSSSC exam case?

The ED’s money laundering investigation stems from four FIRs registered by the Uttarakhand Police and Vigilance Bureau over alleged irregularities in the 2016 Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari examination.

According to the agency, OMR answer sheets were allegedly removed from secure custody and taken to the residence of the commission’s then secretary. Roll numbers of under-filled answer sheets were recorded and passed to personnel of a private computer agency.

The ED has alleged that answer bubbles were subsequently filled or altered fraudulently before the sheets were resealed, with illegal payments allegedly routed through middlemen.

Jeena is currently serving as Rawat’s personal assistant. He had earlier served as Rawat’s officer on special duty when Rawat was Uttarakhand chief minister between 2014 and 2017.

What Harish Rawat said

Reacting to the allegations, Rawat said he found it difficult to believe that Jeena had been involved in wrongdoing. He acknowledged Jeena’s association with him and said the truth behind the allegations would emerge with time.

Rawat said that if evidence showed Jeena had tampered with OMR sheets in the recruitment examination, he would be ashamed of such conduct, while adding that he did not believe the allegation.

Explaining his resignation, Rawat said Uttarakhand politics was entering an election phase and that attempts were being made to create a narrative against him.

He said Congress and its workers were fighting corruption and that he did not want any action associated with him to weaken the party’s campaign. Since he did not hold a government position from which he could resign, he chose to step down from his organisational responsibilities in the party.

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PM Modi, Putin share car ride in Delhi after bilateral talks

PM Modi and Vladimir Putin shared a car ride to Bharat Mandapam after bilateral talks, marking their fourth joint journey by car.

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PM Modi putin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin shared a car ride in New Delhi on Friday after holding bilateral talks, marking their fourth joint journey by car.

The two leaders travelled together in a limousine to the INNOPROM exhibition at Bharat Mandapam, where the 11-member BRICS Summit is scheduled to take place. Their joint ride came a day before the summit.

Modi and Putin’s fourth joint car ride

PM Modi and President Putin have shared a car on three previous occasions. Their first such ride took place during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China last year.

The two leaders also met earlier this month at an SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan. Putin’s most recent visit to India before the current trip was in December 2025.

Their latest joint journey followed a bilateral meeting in which the two leaders discussed several areas of the India-Russia relationship.

India-Russia talks cover trade, energy and defence

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, PM Modi and Putin held wide-ranging discussions on the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.

The talks covered cooperation in areas including trade, energy, defence, space and people-to-people ties. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues, including conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region.

PM Modi reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy remain the way forward for resolving conflicts and said India is ready to assist in peace efforts, according to the Ministry.

Modi gifts Putin Russian translation of Thirukkural

During the bilateral meeting, PM Modi presented Putin with a Russian translation of the Thirukkural, the classical Tamil work associated with the poet and saint Thiruvalluvar.

Modi said the translation of the ancient text into Russian could help strengthen people-to-people ties between India and Russia.

The joint car ride added another notable moment to the two leaders’ interactions ahead of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

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