NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday appointed new governors in seven states, including Jammu and Kashmir, where Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik will replace NN Vohra, who has held the post for more than ten years. Jammu and Kashmir is currently under Governor’s rule, with its Assembly placed in suspended animation.
This is the first time since Karan Singh in 1952 that a politician has been appointed governor in J&K, as the post has always gone to IAS, IPS, or military officers or diplomats. Vohra was appointed J&K governor by the UPA-II government, and the NDA under Narendra Modi decided to continue with him. Though Vohra’s term as J&K governor ended on June 28, he was given an extension by the Central government.
Speculation is rife about differences having cropped up between Vohra and the Central government over several issues, the biggest of which is the debate on Article 35A, which allows the state government to define who is a permanent resident of the state and provide them with special privileges.
In other appointments and transfers of governors, veteran BJP leader Lalji Tandon will take Malik’s post as Bihar governor, while UP BJP leader Baby Rani Maurya has been named governor of Uttarakhand, replacing KK Paul. Former Bihar minister Satyadev Narayan Arya has been appointed governor of Haryana. The current Haryana governor, Kaptan Singh Solanki, has been appointed governor of Tripura. Ganga Prasad, the governor of Meghalaya, will now be the governor of Sikkim. Governor Tathagata Roy in Tripura will move to Meghalaya.