Maharashtra: NCP men replace jailed Malik as Parbhani, Gondia ministers

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday named NCP's Dhananjay Munde and Prajakt Tanpure as the guardian ministers of Parbhani and Gondia respectively.

An order in this regard was issued on Tuesday.

Munde holds the social justice portfolio, while Tanpure is a minister of state for urban development in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of the Shiv Sena, NCP And Congress.

The NCP had on March 17 decided to divest its jailed cabinet minister Nawab Malik of his portfolios as well as the charge of guardian minister of Parbhani and Gondia districts.

Malik, who held ministries of minority affairs and skills development, is in judicial custody in connection with an alleged money laundering case.

Subsequently, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was informed about the decision, an NCP leader said.

The skills development ministry will be reassigned to Health Minister Rajesh Tope and the minority affairs department to Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad, he said.

The NCP has already stated it will not ask for Malik's resignation.