The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra has decided to distribute the portfolios held by party leader and cabinet minister Nawab Malik, currently in custody in a money laundering case, to other ministers of the party, a senior leader has said.
With this decision, Malik will be left with no portfolio in the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The NCP has, however, decided not to ask Malik to tender resignation as demanded by the opposition BJP.
Malik held ministries of Skills Development and Minority Affairs in the state government. He is also the guardian minister of the Parbhani and the Gondia districts.
The Skills Development ministry will be reassigned to state Health Minister Rajesh Tope and the Minority Affairs department to Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad, respectively. Social Justice minister Dhananjay Munde has been given charge of the Parbhani district. MoS for Power Prajakt Tanpure will be the new guardian minister of the Gondia district, the NCP leader said.
Maharashtra state NCP president and water resources minister Jayant Patil told reporters that the NCP's proposal for distributing Malik's portfolios will be sent to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who will then forward it to Raj Bhavan.
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