Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday resigned as the Union Minister of Minority Affairs. It is to be noted that Naqvi's Rajya Sabha term ends on July 7 and he has not been renominated by BJP to the Upper House. The senior BJP leader's resignation comes amid speculations of him replacing Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha as the Election Commission is preparing to hold Assembly elections in the Union Territory before the year end.
And in light of his likelihood to get the Lt Governor's post, the BJP had decided not to field Naqvi in the recent Rajya Sabha polls. Some media reports also state that BJP could even name Naqvi as its vice-president candidate for elections scheduled to take place in August.
Soon after resigning from the cabinet, Naqvi met BJP president J P Nadda at the party headquarters in the capital city. Naqvi is a senior BJP leader and also the Deputy Leader of Rajya Sabha.
Along with Naqvi, another Union Minister Chandra Prasad Singh has also submitted his resignation to PM Modi a day ahead of his Rajya Sabha term gets over. Singh was a minister in the Modi Cabinet from Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United (JDU) quota.
According to news agency PTI, PM Modi has lauded both the Union ministers for their contribution to the country and the people during today's Cabinet meeting. With their term as Rajya Sabha MP set to end on Thursday, PM Modi's appreciation of their work is being seen as an indication that it was their last Cabinet meeting.