Why Centre Must Extend Jammu & Kashmir Governor NN Vohra's Tenure
Governor Vohra, with his ten years of experience as a civilian head of state in J&K, can ensure stability in J&K despite the civilian government ceasing to exist since yesterday.
Srinagar, June 20: While the split of PDP and BJP has dealt a major political setback to Jammu & Kashmir, the state stares at an administrative blow if the government fails to extend the tenure of Governor Narendra Nath Vohra.
Vohra, 82, has been presiding over as the Governor of J&K since 2008. His tenure is scheduled to conclude on June 27. According to reports citing BJP sources, the central government is likely to extend his tenure by three to six months.
Why Centre Must Extend Jammu & Kashmir Governor NN Vohra's Tenure:
- Amarnath Yatra
The pilgrimage begins from June 28 and will continue till August 26. Vohra, who also serves as the head of Shri Amarnath Yatra Board, has successfully organised the yatra over the past three years, despite militancy increasing manifold in the same period in South Kashmir.
A senior government source, while speaking to HT, said Vohra's experience and immense knowledge about Kashmir's security scenario is essential to smoothly conduct the Amarnath Yatra this year.
- Stability
Governor Vohra, with his ten years of experience as a civilian head of state in J&K, can ensure stability in J&K despite the civilian government ceasing to exist since yesterday. Till the conduct of fresh elections, Vohra could remain the ideal choice as the state's civilian authority considering the goodwill he enjoys across all socio-political groups.
If a new Governor is appointed, "he will need three to six months" to understand the state's complexities, a senior BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity.
- Acceptability
Unlike the Governors in several states, Vohra is not a constitutional figure against whom the anti-BJP parties have expressed aversion. His acceptability across political lines is expected to facilitate dialogue on all major issues.
National Conference president Omar Abdullah, while addressing the press after the BJP-PDP split, said he has confidence in Governor Vohra, "who will bring the state back to the path of governance... He is an able administrator whose expertise will hopefully recover the state from the chaos created by the BJP and PDP".
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 20, 2018 03:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).