Is NN Vohra set to become the longest-serving Governor of the country by getting a third term in office in the turbulent Jammu and Kashmir when his current tenure finishes on 28 June?

Indications here are that Vohra might be given another term of five years as the scenario in Jammu and Kashmir has reached a crucial stage with the Centre having offered to hold peace talks with the separatists and other stakeholders during which he could play a significant role.

Vohra will break all previous records and become the longest-serving Governor in India after Padmaja Naidu if he is given another term in office. So far, Padmaja Naidu, who was daughter of the first female Governor Sarojini Naidu, was Governor of West Bengal for a period of nearly eleven years from 1956 to 1967.

Vohra, who was appointed Governor of J-K in 2008 during the famous Amarnath shrine land agitation, has already become the longest serving Governor of the state by occupying the office for two terms of 5 years each. If the tenure of Dr Karan Singh as Sadar-e-Riyasat and then Governor is taken into account then he also occupied the post for 15 years. But he actually became the first Governor of the state on 30 March 1965 and remained in office for 2 years till 1967 and before that he was the elected head of the state.

Lakshmi Kant Jha served as Governor of J-K for 8 years between 1973 and 1981.

Reports indicate that the Centre while retaining Vohra as Governor might also take his advice on steering the talks with stakeholders in J-K. Vohra has insight of the situation in the state as he had also held the high offices of Home Secretary and Defence Secretary before being appointed Centre’s interlocutor in J-K during the Vajpayee era in 2003 and continued the assignment also during the Congress rule till 2008 when he was appointed as the 12th Governor of the state. He became the first civilian Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in 18 years after Jagmohan.

As the interlocutor, Vohra had been holding wide-ranging discussions with both the elected representatives in the state and also the separatists in a bid to forge a common ground for the all-round development of the state. Vohra is learnt to have recently asked the Centre to relieve him from the post but his request was reportedly turned down.

Some time ago, names of Lieutenant General (Retired) Ata Hasnain, former DGP PS Gill and some other top retired Army officers for the post of Governor were in circulation but nothing has emerged so far.