New Delhi, Oct. 29: The United Progressive Alliance government appears set to go ahead with the second round of Raj Bhavan reshuffle despite the controversy in Tamil Nadu.

With resignations of four governors already with Rashtrapati Bhavan, this round may not be as messy as the first in July. Back then, the governors of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh were unceremoniously removed after they refused to put in their papers.

Vacancies are coming up in Bengal, Maharashtra, Orissa, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh as the incumbents will complete their tenure over the next few weeks.

As for Bihar, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Punjab, their governors have already sent their resignations to the President in view of hints from the Centre that they would be either removed or transferred.

Tamil Nadu governor P.S. Ramamohan Rao?s resignation came today after the state failed to secure the Supreme Court?s intervention to put the imminent transfer on hold.

The hearing in the court this morning created some controversy over the Centre?s reasoning for the decision.

The Congress dubbed as ?unethical? chief minister Jayalalithaa?s recording of her conversation with home minister Shivraj Patil on the issue. A verbatim report of the conversation was part of the state?s affidavit to the court.

Patil said he, too, could get into the details of the decision to transfer Rao ?but we are refraining from doing it?.

The home minister said he was not given to discussing such issues in public ?because the poor governor will not have an opportunity to give his explanation?.

Sources suggest the Centre will advise the President to accept the resignations and appoint fresh faces.

The government is learnt to have zeroed in on former Union minister Buta Singh to take charge of Bihar, Bansi Lal for Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh governor Surjit Singh Barnala for Tamil Nadu.

Nagaland governor Shyamal Dutta will likely be asked to move to Mizoram, where incumbent Amolak Rattan Kohli?s term will end shortly.

For Nagaland, the Centre is learnt to be considering a retired IPS officer, Kalyan Rudra. He had spent a considerable part of his career in the Intelligence Bureau before returning to his cadre and retiring as Haryana director-general of police.

The sources said the Congress-led Centre had given Bansi Lal ? who recently merged his party with the Congress ? a choice of three states that included Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The veteran Haryana leader, a Congressman before he floated the Haryana Vikas Party, had clarified that his decision to return was ?unconditional?. He told party chief Sonia Gandhi at a meeting that he did not want anything in return for himself or his family.

Used to political allies? demands, Sonia is learnt to have decided to ask Bansi Lal to take up a gubernatorial posting.