Mumbai, Jan 18 (IANS) The new governor-designate of Maharashtra Kateekal Sankaranarayanan, at present the governor of Jharkhand, will assume his new charge Friday, a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said Monday.
He will be sworn-in by Justice J.N. Patel, acting chief justice of the Bombay High Court, in the Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan.

A dominant figure in Kerala politics, Sankaranarayanan was born Oct 15, 1932 and started his political career in 1946 at the age of 14.

In 1964, he was appointed the president of Palghat District Congress and rose to be the state Congress chief eight years later.

He was elected to the Kerala legislative assembly four times - from Thrithala, Sreekrishnapuram, Ottappalm and Palghat constituencies - besides serving as a state cabinet minister handling various portfolios.

Sankaranarayanan was appointed governor of Nagaland February 2007 till July 2009 and guided the state when it was under president’s rule in early 2008, before being appointed governor of Jharkhand in July 2009 when it too was under president’s rule.

Earlier, for brief periods he also held additional charges as governor of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

A widely travelled person, Sankaranarayanan takes keen interest in welfare and developmental issues.

He is married to an academician, Radha, and the couple has a daughter.