After Lt Governor GC Murmu resigned late on Wednesday, Manoj Sinha, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former union minister was appointed on the post.
Murmu resigned on the first anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K into two union territories that sent a message that everything may not be well within the political circles.
However Manoj Sinha, 61 is a former Member Parliament of Lok Sabha and has been a minister of state in the first term of PM Narendra Modi.
There were rumours doing the rounds that statehood of J&K may soon be restored and elections conducted after delimitation to bring back the state to its original status, though without Ladakh.
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Appointment of Manoj Sinha is being seen as a step to revive the political process that had come to a standstill a year ago on August 5. Most of the non-BJP political leaders were put under house arrest and were not allowed to issue any statements.
As the time passes, there will be a pressure on the government to hold elections so that a wrong message is not sent in the international community. “Delhi may proceed carefully from now on as it is under attack from not only the opposition but also residents of J&K who have been demanding restoration of 4G internet services that were suspended last year” said sources.
While Manoj Sinha is a politician, GC Murmu was a retired bureaucrat of Gujarat cadre. Satyapal Malik who was the predecessor of Murmu was again a political leader who was famous for his controversial statements on Kashmir.
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