On 22 May 2016, the Union Government of India appointed a new Lieutenant Governor for the Union Territory of Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry). Which one of the following leaders was appointed to this constitutional post?

Introduction / Context:
This question belongs to Indian polity and current affairs. It asks about the appointment of a Lieutenant Governor for the Union Territory of Puducherry in May 2016. Such appointments are often in the news and are also covered in general studies material, making them a common topic for examination questions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The date of appointment is 22 May 2016.
• The post is Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Puducherry.
• The options list several well known political figures from different states and parties.
• The task is to identify which of these personalities took charge as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry at that time.

Concept / Approach:
Lieutenant Governors administer certain Union Territories on behalf of the President of India. In May 2016, a prominent former Indian Police Service officer and social activist, Kiran Bedi, was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. She had previously been in the news for her role in the anti corruption movement and for joining electoral politics, which made her appointment notable and widely reported.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the key clue: the Union Territory of Puducherry and the year 2016. Step 2: Recall that soon after the 2014 general elections, several new gubernatorial appointments were made, including one involving Kiran Bedi. Step 3: Remember reading that Kiran Bedi became the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, which was seen as an important political development. Step 4: Compare this memory with the options, noting that Kalyan Singh and Ram Naik served as Governors of states like Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, not as Lieutenant Governors of Puducherry. Step 5: Select Kiran Bedi as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by thinking back to newspaper headlines around May 2016, which introduced Kiran Bedi as the new Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. General studies compilations for that year also list her appointment in the section on important office holders. The other names in the options are tied to different gubernatorial posts in other states, which helps confirm that Kiran Bedi is the correct choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Kalyan Singh served as Governor of Rajasthan and has been a chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, but he was not appointed Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry in 2016.
Ram Naik has served as Governor of Uttar Pradesh, not as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.
Mukul Sangma is known as a former Chief Minister of Meghalaya and is not associated with the constitutional post mentioned in the question.
Najma Heptulla has served as Governor of Manipur and also held various ministerial roles, but she was not appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry on the specified date.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to confuse different gubernatorial appointments because many such changes happened in a short period. Another pitfall is to assume that any senior political leader listed among the options must have held that office. To avoid this, it helps to maintain an updated list of important office holders by state and Union Territory and to revise it periodically during exam preparation.

Final Answer:
On 22 May 2016, the Union Government appointed Kiran Bedi as the new Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Puducherry.