VIJAYAWADA: After serving as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh for more than nine years, ESL Narasimhan, the longest-serving Governor of the State, has been replaced by Biswabhusan Harichandan, a BJP leader from Odisha.
Narasimhan, a retired IPS officer of 1968 batch, has served as director of Intelligence Bureau till his retirement in December 2006. On January 17, 2007, he was appointed as the Governor of Chhattisgarh and on December 27, 2009, he was made in-charge governor of Andhra Pradesh when ND Tiwari stepped down following the infamous sex scandal. On January 23, 2010, he was formally appointed as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh. At the start of his tenure, the State was passing through a turbulent time as Telangana movement was at its peak. With the Centre deciding to bifurcate the State and create a new State, Telangana, Narasimhan as the Governor played an important role. His meetings with Congress leaders and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at that time, reportedly for discussing the possible aftermath of the State bifurcation, drew criticism from the TDP, which was in the Opposition at that time.
Following the State bifurcation, Narasimhan continued as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014 states that the Governor of the existing state of Andhra Pradesh would be the common Governor for both states “for a period as may be determined by the President.”