Arvind Kumar Sharma, Modi's Most Trusted Bureaucrat Joins BJP; Know All About Him

Sharma, who hails from Mau district and belongs to Bhumihar caste, could be one of the BJP candidates in the Vidhan Parishad polls in the state.

Image: ANI

In a boost to the ruling party, PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trusted bureaucrat Arvind Sharma, who had taken voluntary retirement from service earlier this week, has joined the Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP) in Lucknow on Thursday. Sharma could be one of the BJP candidates in the Vidhan Parishad polls in the state, as per sources cited by agencies. Also Read | Mumbai: NCB Intensifies Probe After Arrest Of Nawab Malik's Son-In-Law Sameer Khan In Drugs Case; Raids His Bandra Residence It was earlier confirmed by the Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh that Sharma, who hails from Mau district and belongs to Bhumihar caste, will join the party on Thursday. In order to initiate the joining, deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has been asked by the central leadership to reach Lucknow from Kolkata to attend the ceremony at the party office. The event will take place in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, along with the BJP organisation secretary Sunil Bansal and others. Though party leaders evaded queries about the former bureaucrat playing a larger role in state politics, speculations are rife that he could be appointed the third Deputy Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh. Who is Arvind Kumar Sharma? In 2020, Arvind Kumar Sharma (IAS) became the Secretary in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). Starting the work on war footing, he held a held important meetings with senior officers to review the work of the Ministry and discussed pressing issues especially in the light of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic. Sharma has emphasized that MSME sector is very crucial for the society and the economy. Laying out his priorities, he has emphasized that after we have dealt with the urgent situation, we need to work on creating Global Champion companies from MSMEs. Prior to this appointment, Sharma was serving as Additional Secretary, Prime Minister's Office (PMO). He is 1988 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.  Sharma has also worked in the Government of Gujarat at various positions including field and policy level and has extensive experience of handling the portfolios of regulatory and developmental administration, disaster management, Corporate Management, industrial/investment promotion and infrastructure development. Sharma joined Modi as the Secretary in October 2001. He continued to work with him in the PMO from 2014 onward as well and took over as the MSME secretary thereafter. A low-profile officer, Sharma is known for delivering time-bound results. He earned Modi's trust as the secretary in his CMO and successfully handled the 'Vibrant Gujarat' campaign to get investment to the state. Sharma served in his PMO for six years. Meanwhile, nominations for the Vidhan Parishad polls are being filed until January 18 and BJP is sure to win 10 out of 12 seats falling vacant. The party is likely to announce the list of its candidates over the weekend.