TV
Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati took oath as the 27th Governor of Odisha in a special ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
Orissa High Court Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh administered the oath of office to Kambhampati.
Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik, some other Ministers, Chief Secretary, Police DG, Twin City Police Commissioner and several other dignitaries were present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Kambhampati later took guard of honour at the Raj Bhavan after being sworn in as the Governor. Before taking the oath, Das visited Srimandir in Puri and paid obeisance to Lord Jagannath.
Before assuming his new role, Kambhampati was bid farewell in Mizoram. His appointment added a new chapter to Odisha’s governance, promising a blend of academic expertise and seasoned political insight. He replaced Raghubar Das in the office.
Kambhampati, born in 1953 in Andhra Pradesh’s Prakasam district, has a long-standing career in Indian politics. His political journey began during his university days, where he played an active role in the Jai Andhra Movement in 1972. He was also imprisoned for six months during the Emergency period in the mid-1970s, reflecting his steadfast commitment to political activism.
An academic by profession, Kambhampati holds a BTech in Electronics and Communication Engineering and a PhD from Andhra University. He dedicated 24 years to academia as an associate professor in Andhra University’s Engineering College where he significantly contributed to the academic development of engineering students, providing them with the necessary skills for their careers.
Kambhampati’s engagement in politics resumed in 1977 when he joined the Janata Dal. By 1978, he was serving as the vice-president of its youth wing in Andhra Pradesh. His prominence continued to grow as he later became the General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Andhra Pradesh, a position he held for a decade from 1993. In 1999, he was elected as an MLA from the Visakhapatnam-1 constituency.
He was entrusted with the role of national secretary for BJP in 2005 and served as the president of the Andhra Pradesh BJP between 2014 and 2018. As a Member of Parliament from 2014 to 2019, Kambhampati contributed significantly to various parliamentary committees.
