Incumbent Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik was one of the front runners to be appointed the new Lieutenant Governor once the state was formally classified as a Union Territory

The two Union Territories were created after the bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5.

Girish Chandra Murmu, a 1985 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Gujarat cadre, has been appointed the first Lieutenant-Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

While Murmu, a 1985-batch Gujarat cadre officer, is serving as the Expenditure Secretary in the Union Finance Ministry, Mathur, a 1977-batch officer, has served as the defence secretary and is a former Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).

Meanwhile, incumbent J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik has been appointed as the Governor of Goa where Mridula Sinha is serving.

A statement from President Ram Nath Kovind's office on Friday said that former Chief Information Commissioner of India (CIC), Radha Krishna Mathur has been appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.

While Murmu was set to retire from service in November this year, Mathur retired from the Central Information Commission (CIC) in November last year.

The union government had been looking for candidates to take over as lieutenant governors (L-Gs) of the Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh, carved out following J&K’s reorganisation that will come into effect on October 31.

As per the J&K Reorganisation Act, which paved the way for the state’s bifurcation in August, J&K will be a UT like Puducherry, which has a legislative assembly and a council of ministers. All the bills that the J&K assembly will pass will have to be sent to the L-G for consent, according to the Act. The L-G can give his assent to a bill, withhold it or send it for the president’s consideration.

The Centre had been looking for candidates to take over as lieutenant governors (LGs) of the Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh, carved out following J&K’s reorganisation that will come into effect on October 31.

In an another order, former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief and Union government appointed interlocutor to Jammu and Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, has been moved to Lakshadweep as the administrator, as per an order issued by the Union Home Ministry.

Also, P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, Kerala BJP president, was appointed as the Governor of Mizoram. Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi has been holding the additional charge of Mizoram.