New J&K Governor Malik has his task cut out right from Article 35 A to Panchayat polls

Srinagar, Aug 22: The new Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik has his task cut out. He takes over from N N Vohra, at a time when there is no government in place and the Army is on a mission to restore peace in the Valley.

His appointment as Governor also comes at a time, where there is talk that the BJP would once again try and form the government after the Amarnath Yatra is complete. Vohra was appointed by the UPA-II and then by the NDA and his term was to end on June 28.

However the Centre decided to extend till the conclusion of the Amarnath Yatra.

Malik has his task cut out and he would have a host of issues to tackle which includes Article 35 A, security and also the possible formation of a government. Malik is a veteran in politics and has been a prominent political personality in Uttar Pradesh. He has also served as the Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism.

The two immediate challenges before him are Article 35 A and the Panchayat elections. The fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during his Independence Day address that the state would conduct the local body polls only shows how serious the government is about it. The peaceful and fair conduct of the polls would be a big responsibility for the new Governor.

It would also be interesting to see how Malik would handle the issue regarding Article 35 A. The current Governor, Vohra was not on the same page with the Centre regarding this. He had felt that it would not be right to toy with the issue in the absence of an elected government.

Sources in New Delhi tell OneIndia say that the immediate challenge would be the conduct of the local body polls. Any talk about forming a government would take place only after that. There is a dire need to restore peace and bring about normalcy and hence the administration would only take one thing at a time.