Srinagar: On Friday (August 7), former Union minister Manoj Sinha took oath as the new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. According to reports, he is the first political leader to take charge of the Union Territory.

Sinha was administered the oath of office by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Justice Gita Mittal at Raj Bhavan. The 61-year-old told reporters that August 5 is an important day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

He added that after years of isolation, Jammu and Kashmir joined the mainstream. Sinha succeeds former IAS officer Girish Chandra Murmu, who resigned on Wednesday night (August 5).

Murmu, a 1985 batch IAS officer, had abruptly submitted his resignation on Wednesday, the day the Union Territory marked the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The 60-year-old former IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre had on October 29 last year taken over as the Lieutenant Governor after the state was split into two UTs — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Presently Murmu is appointed as Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).