La. Ganesan

La. Ganesan
Official portrait, 2023
16th Governor of Nagaland
In office
20 February 2023[1] – 15 August 2025
Chief MinisterNeiphiu Rio
Preceded byJagdish Mukhi (additional charge)
Succeeded byAjay Kumar Bhalla (additional charge)
15th Governor of Manipur
In office
27 August 2021 – 19 February 2023
Chief MinisterN. Biren Singh
Preceded byGanga Prasad
(additional charge)
Succeeded byAnusuiya Uikey
Governor of West Bengal
Additional Charge
In office
18 July 2022 – 17 November 2022
Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee
Preceded byJagdeep Dhankhar
Succeeded byC. V. Ananda Bose
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
6 October 2016 – 2 April 2018
Leader of the HouseArun Jaitley
Preceded byNajma Heptullah
Succeeded byKailash Soni
ConstituencyMadhya Pradesh
8th President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Tamil Nadu
In office
22 September 2006 – 30 December 2009
Preceded byC. P. Radhakrishnan
Succeeded byPon Radhakrishnan
Personal details
Born(1945-02-16)16 February 1945
Thanjavur, Madras Province, British India (present-day Tamil Nadu, India)
Died15 August 2025(2025-08-15) (aged 80)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Residence(s)Raj Bhavan, Kohima, Nagaland, India
EducationS.S.L.C.
ProfessionPolitician

La Ganesan Iyer (16 February 1945 – 15 August 2025) was an Indian politician who served as the 16th Governor of Nagaland from 20 February 2023 until his death. His previous tenures included ones as the 15th Governor of Manipur between 27 August 2021 and 19 February 2023, and the Governor of West Bengal (Additional Charge) between 18 July 2022 and 17 November 2022. Before that, he was a member of the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. Ganesan was a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party[2] and a veteran of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Early life

La. Ganesan was born on 16 February 1945 at Tanjore, Madras Province, to Lakshmi Raghava Iyer, a businessman, and Alamelu. His father died when Ganesan was nine years old. Following this, he developed an active interest in the RSS, with which his family was associated. After completing his SSLC, he joined the Revenue Department as a Revenue Settlement Inspector. He remained unmarried and later resigned from his post after nine years to serve as a full-time RSS pracharak ("volunteer").[3][4]

Political career

Before being appointed General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit, he was a pracharak in RSS.[5] He escaped the police during the Indira Gandhi government's oppressive Emergency, where many civil and political opponents to the Congress government were detained, and lived in hiding for about a year.[6] He then served as the National Secretary and as the Vice President of BJP.[7] He was selected as the President of BJP's Tamil Nadu state unit.

He was once a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha and replaced the former union minister Najma Heptulla as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh.[8]

Speech about sacrificing Tamil Nadu

Ganesan's comments on protests started by locals against extraction of hydrocarbons at Neduvasal village in Tamil Nadu became controversial when he said, "There is nothing wrong in sacrificing a state for the welfare of the country."[9][10]

Governor of Manipur

On 22 August 2021, he was appointed the 17th Governor of Manipur by President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind.[11] He was sworn in as the 17th Governor of Manipur at the Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan, Imphal on 27 August 2021. He was administered the oath of office by the Honourable Chief Justice of Manipur High Court PV Sanjay Kumar. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, ministers, and legislators were present at the ceremony. He served in the post until 12 February 2023, after which Anusuiya Uikey was appointed.

Attack on Kirubanidhi

Kirubanidhi, the first Dalit president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, along with La. Ganesan, went to Indore, Madhya Pradesh, to participate in the BJP national council's meeting in 2003. After the meeting, La. Ganesan started verbally abusing Kirubanidhi by criticizing Kirubanidhi's caste. In an interview, Kirubanidhi said the fight was over the misuse of funds by La. Ganesan that he had pointed out.[12][6]

Additional charge as Governor of West Bengal

On 18 July 2022, Ganesan assumed the office of Governor of West Bengal, after Jagdeep Dhankhar had been nominated as vice-presidential candidate by the National Democratic Alliance coalition.[13]

Ganesan received backlash for pushing Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri out of a photo op during the presentation ceremony of the 2022 Durand Cup.[14]

Governor of Nagaland

On 20 February 2023, Ganesan was appointed the 19th Governor of Nagaland by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu.

Illness and death

Ganesan received treatment for a wound on his foot caused by diabetes. Later, while resting at home, on 5 August 2025, he collapsed into unconscious state after his leg went numb.

On 8 August, he experienced dizziness and nausea, after which he was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Thousand Lights, Chennai. Medical tests revealed a blood clot in his head. Following surgery for the clot, he was kept in the ICU under close observation, but died on 15 August, at the age of 80.[15] He became the first governor of Nagaland to die in office.

References

  1. ^ "La. Ganesan sworn-in as Nagaland Governor". 20 February 2023. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  2. ^ "BJP Leader La Ganesan Appointed as New Governor of Punjab". TheQuint. 22 August 2021..
  3. ^ "தலைவர் 11 தகவல்கள்: இல.கணேசன்". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). 12 October 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  4. ^ "கவர்னராகிறார் இல.கணேசன்; முழு வாழ்க்கை வரலாறு". Dinamalar (in Tamil). 22 August 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Munde lobbies for Mahajan's post, but RSS has other plans". The Indian Express. 13 May 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  6. ^ a b சுதா, ஐஷ்வர்யா (22 August 2021). "தஞ்சாவூர் கணேசன் மணிப்பூர் ஆளுநரான கதை!". tamil.abplive.com. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  7. ^ "By elevating Ganesan, BJP hopes to strengthen State unit". The Indian Express. 1 February 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  8. ^ "Rajya Sabha: BJP's iLa Ganesan elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal News - Times of India". The Times of India. 6 October 2016.
  9. ^ "ஹைட்ரோ கார்பன் திட்டம் குறித்து பொன்.ராதாகிருஷ்ணன், இல.கணேசன் கருத்து". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). 26 February 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  10. ^ "La Ganesan, ex-RSS pracharak and Tamil Nadu BJP chief, made Manipur governor". Hindustan Times. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Senior BJP leader La. Ganesan appointed as new governor of Manipur". outlookindia.com. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  12. ^ Vignessh (13 March 2020). "Will BJP's Murugan experiment go the Kirubanidhi way?". The Federal. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  13. ^ "La. Ganesan takes oath as West Bengal governor". The Hindu. 18 July 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  14. ^ "WB governor slammed for 'pushing' Sunil Chhetri during presentation ceremony | Football News". The Times of India. PTI. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  15. ^ "நாகாலாந்து மாநில ஆளுநர் இல.கணேசன் காலமானார்". Dinamalar (in Tamil). 15 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
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