Who was La Ganesan? Everything to Know About Nagaland Governor and Tamil Nadu's Crucial BJP Leader

Nagaland Governor La Ganesan died on Friday at the age of 80. He had been treated in Apollo Hospitals' Intensive Care Unit on Greams Road in Chennai for the last week.

Ganesan was brought to the hospital on August 8 due to a head injury sustained in a fall at his apartment in T. Nagar. He was discovered unconscious. Despite receiving rigorous medical care, his condition did not improve. He passed away at 6.23 p.m. this evening. Ganesan, a seasoned politician, has held major roles in the Bharatiya Janata Party, including serving as the Tamil Nadu BJP president. He was noted for his organizational abilities, grassroots connections, and unwavering commitment to the party.

Ganesan was appointed Governor of Nagaland in February 2023, after previously serving as Governor of Manipur and briefly holding additional responsibility for West Bengal. Ganesan was born on February 16, 1945, to Lakshmiraghavan and Alamelu in a Tamil Brahmin household. He grew up alongside his brother when his father died at a young age. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), quit his job before marrying, and returned to public life as a full-time activist.

Prior to his appointment as General Secretary of the TN BJP unit, he was an RSS pracharak. He escaped the police during Indira Gandhi's harsh Emergency, which incarcerated many civil and political opponents of the Congress government, and went into hiding for approximately a year. He then served as the National Secretary and Vice President of the BJP. He was chosen as the President of the BJP's Tamil Nadu State Unit.

He is a former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from Madhya Pradesh, having succeeded former Union Minister Najma Heptulla.

He underwent treatment for a diabetes-related foot wound. Later, while relaxing at home on August 5, 2025, he slumped in an unconscious state after his leg became numb. On August 8, 2025, at around 3:00 a.m., he had dizziness and nausea and was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Thousand Lights, Chennai. Medical examinations found a blood clot in his skull. Following the clot procedure, he was admitted to the intensive care unit and closely monitored. But he died on August 15, 2025.