Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi quit as Union Minister of Minority Affairs amid buzz that he may run for Vice President of India. The Union Minister resigned from the Union cabinet a day before the completion of his Rajya Sabha term.
President Ram Nath Kovind as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted the resignations of Naqvi with immediate effect and directed that Union minister Smriti Irani be assigned the of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, in addition to her existing portfolio.
According to the Rashtrapati Bhavan statement, “…as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Smriti Zubin Irani, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, in addition to her existing portfolio.”