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Gujarat cadre IAS officer Arvind Kumar Sharma may be made minister in Yogi govt
After the legislative council election, the UP Cabinet is likely to be expanded before the crucial 2022 Assembly election, said a BJP leader.
Former Gujarat cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Arvind Kumar Sharma’s induction in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has led to speculation of a Cabinet reshuffle in the Uttar Pradesh government after the biennial election to 12 seats in the UP Legislative Council is over.
Considered a close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sharma joined BJP in a programme organised in the state unit office in Lucknow on Thursday. Indicating a major role for Sharma in the government, BJP state unit president Swatantra Dev Singh said Sharma has worked with the Prime Minister for 20 years and will play an important role in the state government and the party.
After joining the BJP, Sharma thanked the Prime Minister and BJP national president and said, “I come from a backward village located in Mau district of eastern UP, I have no political background, the BJP has honoured me, I will do the task entrusted by the party”.
A BJP leader said that Sharma is likely to file his nomination paper for the legislative council on Friday. The BJP has 310 MLAs and it is hoping to win at least 10 council seats with the support of ally Apna Dal and rebel BSP and Congress MLAs. Along with Sharma, the party has also cleared state unit president Swatantra Dev Singh, deputy CM Dinesh Sharma and senior leader Laxman Acharya for nomination to the council. The remaining six candidates will be announced after the approval of the party’s central committee. The legislative council election is scheduled for January 28.
After the legislative council election, the Cabinet is likely to be expanded before the crucial 2022 Assembly election, said the BJP leader quoted above.
The party is likely to utilise Sharma’s services in UP government since he has held top positions in the Gujarat government when Narendra Modi was the chief minister. Later, he moved to the Prime Minister’s Office after Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014. Before taking voluntary retirement, Sharma was handling the MSME (micro small and medium enterprises) department, key to PM’s plan for revival of the economy post Covid lockdown. Sharma has also handled Vibrant Gujarat projects.
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had met PM Narendra Modi in Delhi on January 8, when Cabinet expansion and Sharma’s induction was discussed, the BJP leader added.
Apart from inducting Sharma in the Cabinet, the party might move some ministers to the organization with the responsibility for elections. To maintain the caste and regional balance, some fresh faces are likely to be inducted in the Cabinet while some ministers of state are likely to be rewarded with promotion to the Cabinet rank, the BJP leader said.
At present, there are 54 ministers in the UP Cabinet including the chief minister, 23 Cabinet ministers, 9 ministers of state (Independent Charge) and 22 ministers of state. Uttar Pradesh can have a maximum of 60 ministers.
