Nawab Malik's portfolios to be distributed among ministers: NCP

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday announced that Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik's portfolios would be distributed among other cabinet ministers. Malik, who holds the minority affairs and skill development portfolio, has been in jail since February 23 after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case.

The NCP has, however, said Malik will not resign as a minister. On Thursday evening, NCP chief Sharad Pawar met senior party leaders and ministers to take a call on Malik after the Bombay High Court refused him bail on Tuesday.

Emerging from the meeting, state NCP chief Jayant Patil said: "Since his (Malik's) bail has been denied again, we have decided to allocate his portfolios to other ministers as the work (in the departments held by Malik) should not stop."


Malik would now be a minister in the MVA government, but without any portfolio.

According to Patil, the decision on whom to give Malik's portfolios would be decided in the next two to three days and would be then conveyed to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The NCP has also decided that Malik's other responsibilities - he is the guardian minister of Parbhani and Gondia - will also be distributed among other ministers. NCP minister for social justice Dhananjay Munde and minister of state for urban development Prajakta Tanpure will be given charge of Parbhani and Gondia, respectively.

Patil also said that Malik would continue to remain as the Mumbai NCP chief in spite of the impending Mumbai civic elections, but said the party has decided to appoint Narendra Rane and Rakhi Jadhav as two working presidents for Mumbai. NCP has indicated its continued support to Malik by not forcing him to resign.

The BJP has been demanding that Malik not be in the Cabinet and must resign.