Centre likely to appoint governors to 6 states by weekend

The governors’ post lying vacant in at least six states is likely to be filled up by Friday before the governors' conference which is scheduled to begin on Saturday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

The conference will be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Union ministers expected to address the gathering.

The Centre has decided to expedite the appointment of governors’ to the states of Bihar, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh due to the governors’ conference beginning February 7 to 10.

Though Mukherjee has been interacting with governors over video conference in the past due to ill health, this time around he was keen on meeting them individually.

Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan has been appointed the doyen of governors by Mukherjee to conduct the proceedings at the conference.

Moving away from tradition, Modi will interact separately with the governors to understand the political problems they face in their respective states.

The conference is expected to deliberate about internal security, agriculture production and economic growth.