BJP leader and former Union Minister Manoj Sinha has been appointed as Jammu and Kashmir’s new Lieutenant Governor. The announcement comes after Girish Chandra Murmu submitted his resignation from the post. Murmu was in office for a period of nine months and President Ram Nath Kovind accepted his resignation. A three-time MP from Ghazipur, Manoj Sinha is a former Minister of Communication. In addition, he was also the Minister of State (MoS) for Railways.
Murmu's resignation followed after his controversial comments on Assembly elections in the Union Territory. On 28 July, the Election Commission of India (ECI) pulled up Murmu for his statements on the timing of the Jammu and Kashmir election. Murmu has repeatedly maintained that the elections in the Union territory could be held after the ongoing delimitation exercise. There is buzz that he is going to be the next Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, replacing Rajiv Mehrishi who completes his term this week on August 7. Rajiv Mehrshi was appointed India’s top public auditor in 2017 after his retirement from the civil services. Before this, Mehrishi - a former IAS officer of the 1978 batch - has been India’s finance secretary and home secretary.