Kargil War Widow Sudha Yadav Sworn In As Karnataka's Second Woman Governor
Sudha Yadav was sworn in as the Governor of Karnataka on Friday, October 16, 2026, at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru. Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru administered the oath of office and secrecy to her.
Ms. Yadav was appointed by President Droupadi Murmu after the tenure of the outgoing Governor, Thaawarchand Gehlot, came to an end. Mr. Gehlot attended the ceremony.
With this appointment, Ms. Yadav becomes the second woman to serve as Governor of Karnataka. The first was V.S. Ramadevi, who held the post from 1999 to 2002. The Governor is the constitutional head of the State, appointed by the President, and carries out duties that include giving assent to Bills passed by the legislature, appointing the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, and exercising other responsibilities laid down in the Constitution.
From personal loss to public life
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 the Sena Medal. The Kargil conflict was fought between India and Pakistan in the Kargil sector of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.
She was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mahendragarh in Haryana in 1999 and represented the constituency until 2004.
An academic and an organiser
A doctorate holder 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.
She 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
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.
