At a high time when the Governors of non-BJP ruling states are making national headlines in the wake of conflicts with their respective state governments, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has turned heads from across the nation through expressing his desire to step down from the post. As such voluntary move to step down would happen once in a blue moon when it comes to Governorship, Koshyari's wish to give up a constitutional role has become the talk of the nation. 

On Monday - January 23, Koshyari took the masses by surprise as he said that he had conveyed his desire to step down from the role to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A statement from Raj Bhavan, that has been going viral, said, "Governor Koshyari has expressed his desire to spend the rest of his life in reading, writing, and other leisurely activities." 

Koshyari further said, "During the recent visit of the Hon'ble Prime Minister to Mumbai, I have conveyed to him my desire to be discharged of all political responsibilities and to spend the remainder of my life in reading, writing, and other activities. I have always received the love and affection from the Hon'ble Prime Minister and I hope to receive the same in this regard." 

"It was an absolute honour and privilege for me to serve as the Rajya Sevak or Rajyapal of a great state like Maharashtra - the land of saints, social reformers, and valiant fighters. I can never forget the love and affection I have received from the people of Maharashtra during the last little more than three years", the Governor added. Governor Koshyari put his desire in a public domain by sharing it on Twitter. 

As per his statement, he had expressed his desire to Prime Minister Modi when the latter was in Mumbai on January 19 to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for several infrastructure projects. Koshyari, like the rest of the Governors of non-BJP ruling states, had a controversial tenure in Maharashtra when Uddhav Thackeray was the Chief Minister. 

Koshyari was appointed as the Maharashtra Governor in September 2019 and he had a friction with the Thackeray government. Both of them had crossed swords on several occasions including the reopening of temples after the Covid pandemic, the sale of beef in Goa, and a special session of the state assembly he called after the rape and murder of a woman in Mumbai's Sakinaka. 

After Thackeray's government was toppled, the BJP alliance with the Chief Ministership of rebelled Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde formed a new government and based on Shinde's recommendation, Koshyari had in last September scrapped the list of 12 MLCs nominated by the Thackeray-led alliance, which courted a controversy. Koshyari's remarks against Chhatrapati Shivaji had sparked statewide protests. Amid these setbacks, Koshyari, who was a former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, has now come up with his desire to step down from the role. 

During the recent visit of the Hon'ble Prime Minister to Mumbai, I have conveyed to him my desire to be discharged of all political responsibilities and to spend the remainder of my life in reading, writing and other activities.

— Governor of Maharashtra (@maha_governor) January 23, 2023