A senior IAS officer of Gujarat cadre Arvind Kumar Sharma who took voluntary retirement (VRS) yesterday is likely to get a major responsibility in Yogi Adityanath Government in Uttar Pradesh.

Sharma is known to enjoy full confidence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was Secretary, Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). Prior to that he served as Secretary in Modi’s PMO for five years. 

He resigned from the civil services on Monday and his resignation was accepted the same day. He is likely to join the BJP soon. 

Incidentally, he hails from Mau district in Uttar Pradesh. He also served in Modi’s Chief Minister Office (CMO) in Gujarat.

Decision to induct Sharma in the BJP was taken in a meeting of Yogi Adityanath with PM Modi last week. It was after that he was asked to take premature retirement. It is however, still unclear what kind of responsibility is he going to get in the Yogi government.

Mr Sharma joins a large list of bureaucrats joining politics. Only recently former Director General of Police (DGP) Law and Order, UP, Me Brij Lal was elected to the upper house of the Parliament on BJP ticket