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Written by Shubhangi Gupta | Edited by Sohini Goswami, New Delhi
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Thursday held a meeting with senior leaders of the party to discuss the handing over of portfolios belonging to jailed minister Nawab Malik to other colleagues.
The meeting, held at the NCP head’s residence in Mumbai, was attended by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, ministers Jayant Patil, Dilip Walse Patil, and senior leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare. Malik holds minority affairs and skill development portfolios in the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
A PTI report quoting sources said the party’s top brass discussed the option of giving charge of Malik’s portfolios (one each) to two of the NCP’s other cabinet ministers.
The leaders also reportedly discussed appointing two working presidents for the NCP’s Mumbai unit that is headed by Malik. “Malik will continue to remain the president of the party’s Mumbai unit. But discussion was held today on appointing two working presidents to the city unit,” a source said.
Malik was arrested in February by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged money laundering case linked with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. He is currently under judicial custody.
Calling Malik’s arrest “politically motivated”, the NCP has so far denied a possibility of the party asking him to put in his papers. The BJP, Maharashtra’s main opposition party, has been demanding Malik’s ouster from the cabinet.
(With agency inputs)
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