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La. Ganesan Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth16 February 1945

Age77 Years (as of 2022)

BirthplaceTanjore district, Madras Presidency (now Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India)

ProfessionPolitician and Social Activist

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyFather - Lakshmi Raghava Iyer; Mother - Alamelu L; Siblings - three brothers (including L. Session, L. Narayanan, L. Krishnamurthy)

La. Ganesan Biography

La. Ganesan is an Indian political activist and veteran leader who served in senior roles within the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Y

Early life and background

La. Ganesan was born on 16 February 1945 in what was then Tanjore district of the Madras Presidency (now Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu). He completed schooling at Veera Raghava High School in Thanjavur and left formal education after the 12th standard. Following the sudden death of his father, he began working as a Revenue Settlement Inspector in the state revenue department to support himself.

Ganesan comes from a family with longstanding connections to the Sangh movement. He has three brothers, one of whom worked as a journalist and two of whom were government employees. He has remained unmarried and has said in interviews that his celibacy was a personal choice tied to his public work.

Career

Ganesan’s early public life was rooted in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). After nearly a decade in the state revenue service, he resigned and became an RSS pracharak in Tamil Nadu. He rose within the organisation: by 1978 he had responsibility as the RSS district-in-charge in Tamil Nadu and the following year became zonal-in-charge. During the emergency of 1975 he was active in underground movements and spent a year in hiding after his name appeared on police lists.

In the early 1980s Ganesan engaged in communal reconciliation and public activism. He took part in protests and mediation efforts, including work around the Meenakshipuram conversions in 1981 and involvement in resolving the Mandaikkadu communal tensions in 1982.

Ganesan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1991 while serving as a Joint State Organizer for the RSS. Within the BJP he held a succession of organisational roles: he served as Organizing Secretary, National Secretary, National Vice President and as the party’s state president in Tamil Nadu. He was a member of the BJP National Executive Committee from 1991 until his gubernatorial appointment in 2021. Ganesan contested Lok Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu in 2009 and 2014 but did not win a seat.

In recognition of his public work and activism, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh in October 2016 and served as a member of parliament until the end of 2018.

Governor

In 2021 La. Ganesan was appointed the 17th Governor of Manipur and took the oath of office on 27 August 2021. In July 2022 he was given additional charge as the acting Governor of West Bengal. His gubernatorial role followed decades of organisational work in both the RSS and the BJP.

Public profile

Ganesan has presented himself publicly as a lifelong activist and organiser. He founded the literary organisation Pottramarai in 2010 to promote Tamil artists and culture, and he also established a regional Tamil magazine called Orey Nadu. In interviews he has described personal routines such as early morning walks and recitation from the Bhagavad Gita, and has noted a preference for coffee. He states that family tradition influenced his involvement with the Sangh.

Ganesan’s public life has included controversy. As a Rajya Sabha member he supported a proposal by the oil and gas sector to extract hydrocarbons in an area of Tamil Nadu that led to local protests; his remarks in that context drew strong local criticism. Allegations have also been reported regarding a dispute within the BJP in 2003 that a former party official described as involving personal and caste-related accusations. These matters have been part of the public record around his political career.

Latest updates

As of mid-2022 La. Ganesan was serving as Governor of Manipur and holding additional charge as Governor of West Bengal. His official residence and address are recorded as West Mambalam in Chennai. He continues to be identified with social activism, cultural initiatives in Tamil language arts, and his role in public office.
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Recent Work

Governor of Manipur

Appointed as the 17th Governor of Manipur and took oath on 27 August 2021.

2021
Acting Governor of West Bengal (additional charge)

Given additional charge as Governor of West Bengal on 18 July 2022.

2022
Rajya Sabha Member

Nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh and served from October 2016 until the end of 2018.

2016-2018
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Career Highlights

  1. Served as a senior organiser in the RSS and later as a long-time BJP functionary
  2. Member of the BJP National Executive Committee (1991–2021)
  3. Nominated to the Rajya Sabha (2016–2018)
  4. Appointed 17th Governor of Manipur (2021)
  5. Given additional charge as Governor of West Bengal (2022)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was La. Ganesan born?

16 February 1945

What is La. Ganesan known for?

Politician and Social Activist

What is La. Ganesan’s marital status?

Unmarried