In the Republic of India, a governor is the constitutional head of each of the twenty-nine states. The governor is appointed by the President of India for a term of five years, and holds office at the President's pleasure. The governor is de jure head of the state government; all its executive actions are taken in the governor's name. However, the governor must act on the advice of the popularly elected council of ministers, headed by the chief minister, which thus holds de facto executive authority at the state-level. The Constitution of India also empowers the governor to act upon his or her own discretion, such as the ability to appoint or dismiss a ministry, recommend President's rule, or reserve bills for the President's assent. Over the years, the exercise of these discretionary powers have given rise to conflict between the elected chief minister and the central government–appointed governor.
The union territories of Andaman and Nicobar, Delhi and Puducherry are headed by lieutenant-governors. Since Delhi and Puducherry have a measure of self-government with an elected legislature and council of ministers, the role of the lieutenant-governor there is a mostly ceremonial one, akin to that of a state's governor. The other four union territories—Chandigarh; Dadra and Nagar Haveli; Daman and Diu; and Lakshadweep—are governed by an administrator. Unlike the administrators of other territories, who are drawn from the Indian Administrative Service, since 1985 the Governor of Punjab has also been the ex-officio Administrator of Chandigarh and since 1987 the Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli has also been the ex-officio Administrator of Daman and Diu.
Current governors of states
| State (past governors) | Name | Portrait | Took office (tenure length) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | E. S. L. Narasimhan |  | 28 December 2009 (9 years, 179 days) | |
| Arunachal Pradesh | B. D. Mishra |  | 3 October 2017 (1 year, 265 days) | |
| Assam | Jagdish Mukhi |  | 10 October 2017 (1 year, 258 days) | |
| Bihar | Lalji Tandon |  | 23 August 2018 (306 days) | |
| Chhattisgarh | Anandiben Patel (additional charge) |  | 15 August 2018 (314 days) | |
| Goa | Mridula Sinha |  | 31 August 2014 (4 years, 298 days) | |
| Gujarat | Om Prakash Kohli |  | 16 July 2014 (4 years, 344 days) | |
| Haryana | Satyadev Narayan Arya |  | 25 August 2018 (304 days) | |
| Himachal Pradesh | Acharya Dev Vrat |  | 12 August 2015 (3 years, 317 days) | |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Satya Pal Malik |  | 23 August 2018 (306 days) | |
| Jharkhand | Draupadi Murmu |  | 18 May 2015 (4 years, 38 days) | |
| Karnataka | Vajubhai Vala |  | 1 September 2014 (4 years, 297 days) | |
| Kerala | P. Sathasivam |  | 5 September 2014 (4 years, 293 days) | |
| Madhya Pradesh | Anandiben Patel | | 23 January 2018 (1 year, 153 days) | |
| Maharashtra | C. Vidyasagar Rao |  | 30 August 2014 (4 years, 299 days) | |
| Manipur | Najma Heptulla |  | 21 August 2016 (2 years, 308 days) | |
| Meghalaya | Tathagata Roy |  | 25 August 2018 (304 days) | |
| Mizoram | Jagdish Mukhi (additional charge) | | 9 March 2019 (108 days) | |
| Nagaland | Padmanabha Acharya |  | 19 July 2014 (4 years, 341 days) | |
| Odisha | Ganeshi Lal |  | 29 May 2018 (1 year, 27 days) | |
| Punjab | V. P. Singh Badnore |  | 22 August 2016 (2 years, 307 days) | |
| Rajasthan | Kalyan Singh |  | 4 September 2014 (4 years, 294 days) | |
| Sikkim | Ganga Prasad |  | 26 August 2018 (303 days) | |
| Tamil Nadu | Banwarilal Purohit |  | 6 October 2017 (1 year, 262 days) | |
| Telangana | E. S. L. Narasimhan (additional charge) | | 2 June 2014 (5 years, 23 days) | |
| Tripura | Kaptan Singh Solanki |  | 25 August 2018 (304 days) | |
| Uttar Pradesh | Ram Naik |  | 22 July 2014 (4 years, 338 days) | |
| Uttarakhand | Baby Rani Maurya |  | 26 August 2018 (303 days) | |
| West Bengal | Keshari Nath Tripathi |  | 24 July 2014 (4 years, 336 days) |
Current lieutenant governors and administrators of union territories
| Office and union territory (past officeholders) | Name | Portrait | Took office (tenure length) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Devendra Kumar Joshi |  | 8 October 2017 (1 year, 260 days) | |
| Administrator of Chandigarh | V. P. Singh Badnore | | 22 August 2016 (2 years, 307 days) | |
| Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli | Praful Khoda Patel |  | 30 December 2016 (2 years, 177 days) | |
| Administrator of Daman and Diu | Praful Khoda Patel | | 29 August 2016 (2 years, 300 days) | |
| Lieutenant Governor of Delhi | Anil Baijal |  | 31 December 2016 (2 years, 176 days) | |
| Administrator of Lakshadweep | Farooq Khan | .jpg) | 6 September 2016 (2 years, 292 days) | |
| Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry | Kiran Bedi |  | 29 May 2016 (3 years, 27 days) |
