Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has resigned as the union minister for minority affairs, reports said on July 6.
The reports of his resignation comes a day before Naqvi’s term as a member of the Rajya Sabha ends. The ruling BJP had decided not to re-nominate him as a candidate, in the recently held polls for the Upper House of Parliament.
Speculations are also rife that the ruling BJP may nominate Naqvi as its candidate for the upcoming vice presidential elections, slated for August 6.
The speculations gained momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the Union Cabinet meeting held today, reportedly praised Naqvi for his role as a minister over the past eight years.
Following the Cabinet meeting, Naqvi had met BJP national president JP Nadda, sources said.
Naqvi, apart from heading the minority affairs ministry, was also the Deputy Leader of Rajya Sabha.
The BJP veteran was also the sole Muslim face in the Narendra Modi-led central government.
Naqvi, along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, was counted among the two Atal Vihari Vajpayee-era ministers in the Narendra Modi-led Cabinet.
In the government headed by Vajpayee between 1998-99, Naqvi had served as the minister of state for information and broadcasting, after being elected as the Lok Sabha MP from Rampur constituency.
