Governor Ravi bids farewell to Tamil Nadu; State Cabinet stays away

None of the members of the Tamil Nadu Cabinet were present at the Chennai airport when R.N. Ravi completed his Governorship tenure and bid farewell to the State on Wednesday (March 11, 2026). Last week, he was transferred as the Governor of West Bengal.

Mr. Ravi was accorded a guard of honour by the State police at the Chennai airport. Besides some senior officials from the Public Department, a few staff from the Lok Bhavan were present when Mr. Ravi left Chennai. Incidentally, many of the Ministers had official commitments on Wednesday morning.

Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who has been appointed by President Droupadi Murmu, to additionally discharge functions of Tamil Nadu Governor, is set to assume office at the Lok Bhavan in Chennai on Thursday (March 12), an official source said. Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari is expected to administer the oath of office to the new Governor.

In 2021, when Mr. Ravi’s predecessor Banwarilal Purohit left Tamil Nadu for Punjab on September 14, Minister Duraimurugan, then second in the inter se seniority in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet, presented a shawl to him and saw him off at the Chennai airport. Ministers K.N. Nehru, I. Periasamy, K. Ponmudy and E.V. Velu; then Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu and then Director-General of Police C. Sylendra Babu also accompanied Mr. Duraimurugan in seeing off Mr. Purohit at the airport.

Last week, Mr. Stalin had called on Mr. Ravi in the Lok Bhavan following the Governor’s transfer just like he called on Mr. Mr. Purohit in the then Raj Bhavan on September 13, 2021 following his transfer. Till Wednesday evening, neither the Lok Bhavan nor the State government issued any official communication regarding Mr. Ravi’s departure on Wednesday. (EOM) DSJ