Vinai Kumar Saxena, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Given Additional Charge of Jammu and Kashmir

Key facts

• Vinai Kumar Saxena, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, was given additional charge of Jammu and Kashmir on September 8, 2026, during the absence on leave of incumbent Manoj Sinha.
• The appointment was made by the President of India, as stated in a communique issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• Manoj Sinha, who took charge as Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir on August 7, 2020, is currently on an official visit to the United States, travelling to Chicago, Illinois.
• Manoj Sinha delivered an address at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) (BHU) Global Alumni Meet, where he spoke on Artificial Intelligence and the impact of the removal of Article 370 on Jammu and Kashmir.
• Born on July 1, 1959, in Mohanpura, Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh, Manoj Sinha holds B.Tech and M.Tech degrees in Civil Engineering from IIT-BHU, Varanasi.
• Manoj Sinha was elected to the Lok Sabha three times (1996, 1999, and 2014) from Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, and served as Minister of State for Railways (2014–2019) and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications (2016–2019).