Which of the following Governors of Madhya Pradesh had the shortest tenure ?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, Pattabhi Sitaramayya. He was Madhya Pradesh's first Governor, taking office the day the State was created, 1 November 1956, and demitting on 13 June 1957 — about seven and a half months, by far the shortest of the four. The others all ran for years: H. V. Pataskar 14 June 1957 - 10 February 1965, K. C. Reddy across two spells (11 February 1965 - 2 February 1966 and 10 February 1966 - 7 March 1971), and Satya Narayan Sinha 8 March 1971 - 13 October 1977.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) The longest of the four — 14 June 1957 to 10 February 1965, close to eight years in Raj Bhavan.  (c) K. C. Reddy, the first Chief Minister of Mysore State, was Governor of MP across two spells between February 1965 and March 1971 — around six years in all, broken only by a brief acting arrangement in early 1966.  (d) Governor from 8 March 1971 to 13 October 1977 — over six and a half years, and the man in office during the President's rule of 1977.

Concept: Article 156 sets a five-year term for a Governor, but clause (1) of the same Article says he holds office 'during the pleasure of the President'. The term is therefore an outer frame, not a guarantee: a Governor can be moved, transferred or asked to resign earlier — which routinely happens after a change of government at the Centre — and he also continues beyond five years until a successor takes charge. That is why real tenures range from a few months to nearly a decade.

State PCS 2025 Q15 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2025 Q15 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer