R S Gavai likely to take over as Bihar Governor next week

Nagpur, June 16 (UNI) The newly appointed Bihar Governor R S Gavai is likely to assume office before the end of next week.

Mr Gavai, the 77-year-old chief of Republican party of India (RPI), an ally of UPA coaltion at the centre, has been appointed by President A P J Abdul Kalam as the Governor of Bihar. He replaces Mr Buta Singh who had quit following controversy over the recommendation for the dissolution of Bihar Assembly.

Talking to UNI over phone, Mr Gavai, who arrived from New Delhi in Amravati, his native place in Maharashtra, today said he would take charge on June 22 or June 23 next week.

He said the Governor's post was a challenging task for him in a State like Bihar where he would face politics entirely different from the one in Maharashtra, where he has been for more than three decades. ''I am prepared to deal with the new political changes,'' Mr Gavai said.

Mr Gavai has been a member of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and the Chairman of Maharashtra Legislative Council. An agriculturist by profession, he has also served as a member of Parliament's Committee on Agriculture.

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