Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot welcomes Governor-designate Dr Sudha Yadav at Lok Bhavan, in Bengaluru. Ms. Yadav was sworn in as the Karnataka Governor on October 16, 2026 by Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru. | Photo Credit: ANI
Sudha Yadav was sworn in as the new Governor of Karnataka at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru on Friday (October 16, 2026). Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru administered the oath of office and secrecy.
Ms. Yadav was appointed by President Droupadi Murmu following the completion of the tenure of outgoing Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot..
Ms. Yadav is the second woman to serve as Karnataka Governor, after V.S. Ramadevi, who held the post from 1999 to 2002.
Kargil war widow
Ms. Yadav entered public life after her husband, Sukhbir Singh Yadav, a Deputy Commandant in the Border Security Force, was killed during the 1999 Kargil War. He died while fighting Pakistani forces during artillery attacks and was posthumously awarded a Sena Medal.
She was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mahendragarh in Haryana in 1999 and represented the constituency until 2004.
An academic with a doctorate in chemistry, Ms. Yadav completed her M.Sc. in the subject at the University of Roorkee, now the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, where she won a gold medal.
Experience in politics and public life
Ms. Yadav has held several organisational positions in the Bharatiya Janata Party, including national in-charge of its Other Backward Classes Morcha. She also served as a member of the National Commission for Backward Classes.
In 2022, she was inducted into the BJP’s Parliamentary Board, becoming the second woman to serve on the body after Sushma Swaraj.
The ceremony at the Glass House of Lok Bhavan was attended by Mr. Gehlot, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, Ministers Sharan Prakash Patil, K.J. George and Priyank Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashoka, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi T. Narayanaswamy, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Director-General and Inspector-General of Police M.A. Saleem, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, legislators, MPs, judges of the High Court and senior officials
Published - October 16, 2026 11:04 am IST