The government is in the process of filling several vacant posts of governors which are currently being managed by governors of other states as additional responsibility. Several names are said to have been under consideration for Governorship. Among them figure the names of former Congress leader S M Krishna who recently joined BJP, Ex-BJP MP Vasavaraj Patil, Andhra Pradesh BJP leader Shanta Reddy and Krishnam Raju, former minister in Vajpayee Govt. Altogether, seven states are without governors now. They are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu & Telangana. The post of Bihar Governor fell vacant on June 22 after Ram Nath Kovind resigned following the BJP-led NDA's decision to select him as its candidate for the post of president. Further, West Bengal Governor Keshri Nath Tripathy was administered oath as Bihar Governor as additional charge. In addition, it is speculated that the J&K Governor's post may also be considered along with the seven states.