Jammu Kashmir likely to get `civilian’ governor after 18 years

By NAK,

Jammu : Amid hot lobbying for extension to the outgoing governor Srinivas Kumar Sinha, the race for Rajbhawan in Jammu and Kashmir has intensified and if all goes as it seems the state is likely to get a governor with no army background after more than eighteen years.

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Well informed sources in the power corridors revealed that the central government has intensified the process for appointing new governor in the state of Jammu and Kashmir though a strong lobby in state Congress and AICC were in favour of granting extension to Sinha – whose term is expiring on June 4 – till elections in the state.

"At the Home Ministry in New Delhi the activity around the appointment of new governor for Jammu and Kashmir and some other states has picked up pace after Karnatka election results were declared", sources told News Agency of Kashmir.

Though names of some army generals were being considered for the coveted post, sources said that central government has almost decided to appoint a governor without any army background in the state.

As far now names of names of former Home Secretary VK Duggal, Kashmir interlocutor NN Vohra, former IB chief DP Pathak and retired RAW Secretary AS Dullat are doing the rounds as replacements for present incumbent Gen Sinha.

Sources claimed that the retired bureaucrat and Kashmir interlocutor N N Vohra was front runner as he was getting support of some top guns in Congress and left.

Names of former IAS officer and Central Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, former army chief NC Vij and S Padmanabhan were also being considered by the home ministry in consultation with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Sources said that owing to the changing situation in the state the central government was seriously considering to appoint an experienced administration or an intelligence expert as the governor of sensitive state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The outgoing governor Gen (Rtd) SK Sinha was the eleventh governor of the state. Though being from a Sangh ideology the governor enjoyed full support of Congress both at central and state level especially when one of the coalition alliance Peoples Democratic Party came in open against the governor and demanded his removal.

From Karan Singh to SK Sinha the coveted post of governor in the state has either being held by former-army, police personnel or senior retired bureaucrates.

Dr Karan Singh, after first succeeding his father Maharaja Hari Singh as Regent in 1949, was appointed as first governor of Jammu and Kashmir on 30 March 1965 and he remained on the post till May 15, 1967.

Soon after his term was over, Dr Singh was replaced by Janki Nath Wazir, who was the then chief justice of J and K High Court, as governor for a short duration of three months from March 15, 1967 to May 15, 1967. However, his appointment was only for a stop gap arrangement.

Bhagwan Sahai took over as the next Governor of the J&K State on May 15, 1967 and continued till July 3, 1973. He was later replaced by LK Jha took.

Brij Kumar Nehru, former ambassador, was later appointed as the governor but was superceded by Jagmohan on Apr 26, 1984. Jagmohan, who is considered to be most controversial governor in the state history, remained on the post till July 1989. The former civil servent, Jagmohan was again nominated for the post, Jan 19 1990, when the militancy was at its peek. However, this time he ramined on the post only for a short span of time till May 26 1990.

General K. V Krishna Rao, the former Chief of Army Staff, has been the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, for the first time, from July 11, 1989 to January 19, 1990 and the second time, from March 13, 1993 till May 02, 1998. He was the first governor of the state with army background.

Later a former IPS Officer, Girish Chandra Saxena, took over as the head of the State on 2nd of May 1998 for the second time. Earlier, he held the office of the Governor J&K from May 26, 1990 to March 13, 1993.

JAMMU KASHMIR GOVENORS