Former IAS officer and MLC Arvind Kumar Sharma, a close confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was appointed Uttar Pradesh BJP vice president. His appointment comes months ahead of the assembly elections to be held in the state next year. Soon after the appointment, Sharma thanked the central and state BJP leadership.
“I will continue to serve the society, state and the country under the guidance of my seniors and with the support of worker friends in the party,” he tweeted. Sharma has worked with PM Modi for over two decades. He was posted as a secretary in the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) when he took voluntary retirement from the services in January this year and joined the BJP. Later, he was appointed as a member of the legislative council (MLC) in the state.
For weeks, there had been speculation that Sharma might be accommodated in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet ahead of the 2022 elections. However, with his elevation to the party’s vice president post, all such speculations have been put to rest. BJP leaders said that with his appointment as the state unit vice president, Sharma will now focus on Purvanchal.
“Now Sharma will focus more on Purvanchal. The way he worked in Varanasi since mid-April and managed to bring the Covid situation under control in the district is being talked about in overall eastern UP. Although he is new to politics but his management skills are undoubtedly excellent. We will use his experience in our organisation,” a BJP official said.
A source in the BJP said, “This decision is good for Sharma. In the tussle between Yogi and the Centre, Yogi has won finally because, at last, Sharma will not get the Cabinet berth which the party’s central leadership wannted. Yogi proves that he is a boss of the state government. Sharma has been appointed as vice president but there are already 16 vice presidents in BJP’s UP unit.”
“Sharma’s early voluntary retirement came as a bit of a surprise to many but now his role in organisation will give a strong message in Purvanchal,” a second source said.
