Governors of States
Official heading: “Governors of States.”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part VI, Article 153, printed page 70
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- Last human legal review
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1. In One Sentence
Article 153 mandates that there shall be a Governor for each State, while allowing the same individual to be appointed as Governor for two or more States.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 153 establishes the constitutional head of the State executive. Under India's parliamentary system, the Governor occupies a position in the State analogous to that of the President in the Union.
The original provision mandated a separate Governor for every State. The Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, inserted an important proviso allowing the appointment of the same person as Governor for two or more States.
This common Governor provision is frequently utilized for administrative efficiency, particularly across smaller neighboring States in regions like the North-East.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
During an administrative transition, the Governor of Assam is also designated to discharge the duties of the Governor of Nagaland.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 153 establishes the office of the Governor as an indispensable constitutional institution.
- Mandatory constitutional office: Every State must have a Governor.
- Common Governor: Proviso permits dual or multiple gubernatorial appointments.
- Dual capacity: A common Governor functions as a distinct constitutional authority for each respective State.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part VI, Article 153, printed page 70 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.