Former Union Minister Manoj Sinha has been appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. On 5th August 2019, the Union government moved to abrogate Article 370 of the Indian Constitution which gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The erstwhile state was also divided into 2 union territories, namely Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The move comes as the Union Government emphasized on the incapability of current postholder Girish Chandra Murmu, with respect to restoration of the political vacuum created in the region after the major change in status. In the statement released by the Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesperson, this appointment was announced following the communique issued by President’s secretariat which said that the resignation of Mr. Murmu has been accepted.
The communique issued by President’s press secretary Ajay Kumar said that the president has been pleased to appoint Shri Manoj Sinha as the next Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir with effect from the date he assumes charge of the office.
Manoj Sinha is a senior leader of the political organization Bhartiya Janata Party, a representative of conservative right-wing ideology in the Indian political scenario. He was born on 1st July 1959 in Ghazipur district of Purvanchal (Eastern Uttar Pradesh). He has been actively involved in working for the backward villages of the region.
His political career started when he was elected as the president of Banaras Hindu University students’ union in 1982. He was elected as a member of the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1996 and in the next term in 1999. He has been a member of the national council of BJP from 1989 to 1996. He was elected to the Lok Sabha for a third term in 2014 when BJP won the majority in the national elections. He was formerly the Minister of State for Railways and also held an independent charge of the Ministry of Communication.
