Najma Heptulla, Mukhi appointed Governors

New Delhi:  Former Union Minister Najma Heptulla, who resigned from the Union Ministry last month after crossing 75 years of age, has been appointed governor of Manipur. Former Member of Parliament V.P. Singh Badnore has been appointed Governor of Punjab, according to a statement by Rashtrapati Bhawan. In other appointments, senior BJP leader Jagdish Mukhi has been appointed Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Banwarilal Purohit the Governor of Assam. Heptulla, 76, had resigned from the union cabinet on July 12, almost a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded his Council of Ministers. She had to resign on age grounds as the BJP in an unwritten code had recently fixed the maximum age for ministers at 75. Badnore, a four-time MLA from Rajasthan, was first elected to Lok Sabha from Bhilwara Parliamentary constituency and retained the seat in 2004. In 2010, Badnore was elected to Rajya Sabha and serves as member of various parliamentary committees. Jagdish Mukhi, a BJP veteran from Delhi, is a sixth time MLA from Janakpuri assembly constituency. He has also served as Leader of Opposition in Delhi assembly. He was also Finance Minister of Delhi during the BJP regime between 1993-1998. Purohit, a former Congressmen from Maharashtra, was three-time Member of Parliament from Nagpur. He also served as an MLA.