# List of governors of Kerala

The governor of Kerala is the constitutional head of state of the southern Indian state of Kerala. The governor is appointed by the President of India, and holds office at the President's pleasure. The governor is de jure head of the government of Kerala; all its executive actions are taken in the governor's name. The elected council of ministers is headed by the chief minister of Kerala, who thus holds de facto executive authority in the state. The Constitution of India also empowers the governor to act upon their own discretion, such as the ability to appoint or dismiss a ministry, recommend President's rule, or reserve bills for the president's assent.
Since 2 January 2025, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, is the governor of Kerala.

## Maharajas and Maharanis of the Travancore

| Name | Reign |
| Rama Varma I | 1663–1672 |
| Aditya Varma I | 1672–1677 |
| Umayamma Rani | 1677–1684 (Regent Queen) |
| Ravi Varma | 1684–1718 |
| Aditya Varma II | 1718–1719 |
| Unni Kerala Varma | 1719–1724 |
| Rama Varma II | 1724–1729 |
| Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma I | 1729–1758 |
| Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma I (Dharma Raja) | 1758–1798 |
| Avittom Thirunal Balarama Varma I | 1798–1810 |
| Ayilyom Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi | 1810–1813 (Queen Regnant) 1813–1815 (Regent Queen) |
| Uthrittathi Thirunal Gowri Parvati Bayi | 1815–1829 (Regent Queen) |
| Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma II | 1829–1846 |
| Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma II | 1846–1860 |
| Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma III | 1860–1880 |
| Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma IV | 1880–1885 |
| Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma V | 1885–1924 |
| Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi | 1924–1931 (Regent Queen) |
| Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma II | 1931–1956 |

## Governors of Kerala

Key :
| • | Indicates interim |
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Duration | Home State | Appointed by |
| _ | P. S. Rao | 1 November 1956 | 21 November 1956 | 20 days | Not Known | Rajendra Prasad |
| 1. | Burgula Ramakrishna Rao | 22 November 1956 | 1 July 1960 | 3 years, 222 days | Andhra Pradesh | Rajendra Prasad |
| 2. | V. V. Giri | 1 July 1960 | 2 April 1965 | 4 years, 275 days | Odisha | Rajendra Prasad |
| 3. | Ajith Prasad Jain | 2 April 1965 | 6 February 1966 | 310 days | Uttar Pradesh | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan |
| 4. | Bhagwan Sahay | 6 February 1966 | 15 May 1967 | 1 year, 98 days | Uttar Pradesh | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan |
| 5. | V. Viswanathan | 15 May 1967 | 1 April 1973 | 5 years, 321 days | Kerala | Zakir Husain |
| 6. | N. N. Wanchoo | 1 April 1973 | 10 October 1977 | 4 years, 192 days | Madhya Pradesh | V. V. Giri |
| 7. | Jothi Venkatachalam | 14 October 1977 | 27 October 1982 | 5 years, 13 days | Tamil Nadu | Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy |
| 8. | P. Ramachandran | 27 October 1982 | 23 February 1988 | 5 years, 119 days | Tamil Nadu | Zail Singh |
| 9. | Ram Dulari Sinha | 23 February 1988 | 12 February 1990 | 1 year, 354 days | Bihar | R. Venkataraman |
| 10. | Sarup Singh | 12 February 1990 | 20 December 1990 | 311 days | Haryana | R. Venkataraman |
| 11. | B. Rachaiah | 20 December 1990 | 9 November 1995 | 4 years, 324 days | Karnataka | R. Venkataraman |
| _ | Gopal Ramanujam | 20 April 1995 | 29 April 1995 | 9 days | Tamil Nadu | Shankar Dayal Sharma |
| 12. | P. Shiv Shankar | 12 November 1995 | 1 May 1996 | 171 days | Andhra Pradesh | Shankar Dayal Sharma |
| 13. | Khurshid Alam Khan | 5 May 1996 | 25 January 1997 | 265 days | Uttar Pradesh | Shankar Dayal Sharma |
| 14. | Justice Sukhdev Singh Kang | 25 January 1997 | 29 February 2000 | 3 years, 35 days | Punjab | Shankar Dayal Sharma |
| _ | C. Rangarajan | 29 February 2000 | 23 April 2000 | 54 days | Tamil Nadu | K. R. Narayan |
| (14). | Justice Sukhdev Singh Kang | 23 April 2000 | 19 October 2000 | 179 days | Punjab | K. R. Narayan |
| _ | C. Rangarajan | 19 October 2000 | 7 November 2000 | 19 days | Tamil Nadu | K. R. Narayan |
| (14). | Justice Sukhdev Singh Kang | 7 November 2000 | 14 September 2001 | 311 days | Punjab | K. R. Narayan |
| — | Mohammed Fazal | 14 September 2001 | 28 September 2001 | 14 days | Uttar Pradesh | K. R. Narayan |
| (14). | Justice Sukhdev Singh Kang | 28 September 2001 | 16 February 2002 | 141 days | Punjab | K. R. Narayan |
| _ | C. Rangarajan | 16 February 2002 | 28 February 2002 | 12 days | Tamil Nadu | K. R. Narayan |
| (14). | Justice Sukhdev Singh Kang | 28 February 2002 | 18 April 2002 | 49 days | Punjab | K. R. Narayan |
| 15. | Sikander Bakht | 18 April 2002 | 23 February 2004 | 1 year, 311 days | Delhi | K. R. Narayan |
| _ | T. N. Chaturvedi | 25 February 2004 | 23 June 2004 | 119 days | Uttar Pradesh | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| 16. | R. L. Bhatia | 23 June 2004 | 10 July 2008 | 4 years, 17 days | Punjab | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| 17. | R. S. Gavai | 11 July 2008 | 7 September 2011 | 3 years, 58 days | Maharashtra | Pratibha Patil |
| 18. | M. O. H. Farook | 8 September 2011 | 26 January 2012 | 140 days | Puducherry | Pratibha Patil |
| — | Hansraj Bhardwaj | 26 January 2012 | 22 March 2013 | 1 year, 55 days | Haryana | Pratibha Patil |
| 19. | Nikhil Kumar | 23 March 2013 | 5 March 2014 | 347 days | Bihar | Pranab Mukherjee |
| 20. | Sheila Dikshit | 5 March 2014 | 5 September 2014 | 184 days | Delhi | Pranab Mukherjee |
| 21. | P. Sathasivam | 5 September 2014 | 5 September 2019 | 5 years, 0 days | Tamil Nadu | Pranab Mukherjee |
| 22. | Arif Mohammad Khan | 6 September 2019 | 1 January 2025 | 5 years, 117 days | Uttar Pradesh | Ramnath Kovind |
| 23. | Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar | 2 January 2025 | Incumbent | 76 days | Goa | Droupadi Murmu |