Srinagar: President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday appointed BJP leader and former Union minister Manoj Sinha as the Lieutenant Governor. He will replace Girish Chandra Murmu who resigned on Wednesday, the day marking the first anniversary of Article 370 and splitting of J&K into two union territories.
“The President has accepted the resignation of Shri Girish Chandra Murmu as Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir,” reads a release issued by the President house.
“The President has been pleased to appoint Shri Manoj Sinha, to be the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office vice Shri Girish Chandra Murmu,” it added.
Sinha has represented the parliamentary constituency of Ghazipur in eastern Uttar Pradesh thrice in the Lok Sabha. He was defeated by Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Afzal Ansari in last year’s Lok Sabha polls. Sinha has also served as junior railways minister(Assumed office 26 May 2014), Minister of State (Independent Charge)Ministry of Communications (Assumed office 5 July 2016) . Born on July 1, 1959 in Mohanpura in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh, Sinha did his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi. Later he also completed his M.Tech in Civil Engineering from the same Institute. Before joining active politics, he was a member of the General Council, School of Planning during 1999-2000. He has also been a Member of Committee on Energy and another Committee on Government Assurances.
