Kambhampati Hari Babu assumed the role of Governor of Odisha on 26 December 2024
OdishaPlus Bureau
Kambhampati Hari Babu, born on June 15, 1953, is notable for being the first individual from the bifurcated state of Andhra Pradesh and the first Telugu person to assume the role of Governor of Mizoram. Hari Babu represented the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh as a Member of Parliament during the 16th Lok Sabha, having secured victory in the 2014 Indian general election as a candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party. Additionally, he served as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Andhra Pradesh from 2014 to 2018.
Born in Thimmasamudram, located in the Prakasam district, Hari Babu relocated to Visakhapatnam to pursue a Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communication Engineering at Andhra University, where he also earned his Master of Technology and PhD. He subsequently joined Andhra University as a faculty member, retiring voluntarily as an Associate Professor in 1993 to fully commit to his political career.
Hari Babu’s political journey commenced during his student years when he actively participated in the Jai Andhra movement advocating for the establishment of Andhra State. As a student leader, he collaborated with prominent figures such as Tenneti Viswanadham, Gouthu Latchanna, and Venkaiah Naidu. Furthermore, he held the position of Secretary of the Students’ Union at Andhra University Engineering College from 1972 to 1973.
From 1974 to 1975, Hari Babu participated in the Lok Sangharsh Samithi movement, which was spearheaded by Jayaprakash Narayan, in opposition to the Emergency. He was detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and spent six months incarcerated in Visakhapatnam Central Jail and Mushirabad Jail.
In 1977, he joined the Andhra Pradesh State Executive Committee of the Janata Party. He held the position of Vice President of the Andhra Pradesh State Janata Yuva Morcha in 1978. By the early 1990s, he had shifted his allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was a member of the Andhra Pradesh State Executive Committee from 1991 to 1993 and served as the General Secretary of the state unit from 1993 to 2003.
In 1999, Hari Babu was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Visakhapatnam-I Assembly constituency and took on the role of floor leader for the Bharatiya Janata Legislature Party in Andhra Pradesh in 2003. In March 2014, he was elected President of the state unit. He successfully contested the 2014 Indian general election from the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency as a BJP candidate, winning against YSR Congress Party candidate Y. S. Vijayamma by a margin of 90,488 votes.
On 19 July 2021, Hari Babu was appointed as the Governor of Mizoram. Subsequently, on 26 December 2024, he assumed the role of Governor of Odisha.
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