Dalit leader R S Gavai appointed Governor of Kerala

New Delhi, Jun 26 (UNI) Dalit leader Ramkrishnan Suryabhan Gavai, who has been appointed Governor of Kerala today, was holding the same post in Bihar earlier.

He is exchanging places with R L Bhatia.

Mr Gavai, a former Republican Party of India MP, had succeeded Buta Singh in Bihar, who resigned in the wake of an adverse Supreme Court judgement that questioned his recommendation to dissolve the state assembly in March 2005.

Graduated from Vidarbha Mahavidyalay, Nagpur University, Amravati, he got elected to Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1964 and served the state in various positions till 1994.

He was a member of Maharashtra Legislative Council from 1964-94, then deputy chairman from 1968-78, Chaiman from 1978-84, and leader of the opposition in the State Assembly from from 1986-88.

He was elected to 12th Lok Sabha in 1998 and served as a menmber of Committee on Urban and Rural Development and Consultative Committee, Ministry of Agriculture.

Mr Gavai also participated in the freedom struggle and was a Vice-President of the Executive Committee of World Fellowship of Buddhists.

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