SRINAGAR: President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday assigned Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena the additional charge of Jammu and Kashmir during the absence of incumbent J&K LG Manoj Sinha, who has proceeded on leave.
According to an order issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan, Saxena will discharge the functions of the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir during Sinha’s absence on leave.
Saxena took over as the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh on March 13, 2026, after serving as Delhi LG from 2022 to 2026.
J&K LG Manoj Sinha, who is currently on leave, is in the United States. He addressed the IIT (BHU) Global Alumni Meet in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday.
Sinha took over as the second Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on August 7, 2020, replacing G C Murmu.
Murmu was the first Lieutenant Governor of J&K after the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories and the Centre’s abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019.
The President’s decision to assign Saxena the additional charge of J&K comes days after J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
National Conference ministers have repeatedly accused LG Sinha of interfering in the governance of the Omar Abdullah-led government.
Sinha, a seasoned politician, three-time BJP MP and former Union minister, is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He was a member of the BJP National Council from 1989 to 1996.
For some time, there has been speculation that Sinha may either return to active politics in his home state of Uttar Pradesh or be inducted into the Union Cabinet by the Prime Minister.
There has also been speculation that Sinha could be replaced as Lieutenant Governor by a seasoned BJP politician, retired Army general or former security official.
Sinha can take credit for a significant improvement in the security situation in J&K, including a decline in militant violence and recruitment, as well as the return of domestic and foreign tourists to the Union Territory.
