Jammu and Kashmir may soon get new governor; ex-bureaucrat Rajiv Mehrishi tipped to replace NN Vohra

Jammu and Kashmir may soon have a new governor as the Centre has reportedly decided not to continue with NN Vohra who has served the state for over a decade, media reports said. According to The Statesman, former bureaucrat Rajiv Mehrishi is one of the likely contenders for the post of the new governor and is expected to be appointed within a few days after the Amarnath Yatra concludes. [caption id=“attachment_2038543” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Jammu and Kashmir governor NN Vohra. PTI.[/caption] A home ministry official told The Telegraph that the government is expected to announce the name of the new Jammu and Kashmir governor latest by Thursday. The government has already prepared a list of potential candidates, including retired army officers and former bureaucrats and has been taken to the prime minister’s office for final approval, the official added. Sources informed NDTV that there has been some rift between the Centre and the governor who have not been able to reach a common ground where the formation of a state government in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned. The Centre wants a new government but the governor is not agreeable to it after having seen the state go through similar difficult periods for over a decade. Sources have also suggested that a former army chief’s name has also been doing the rounds. A day after the PDP-BJP government collapsed following the BJP breaking off its three-year-old alliance with the regional party, President Ram Nath Kovind approved the imposition of Governor's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir with immediate effect on 20 July. Vohra, who is 82-years-old, has handled the state on  three separate occasions in the past 10 years. He was known as the crisis manager in 2008  when Governor’s Rule was promulgated in Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the Amarnath land row. With inputs from PTI