Retired IAS officer A.K. Sharma has to contend with ornamental post in BJP for now

Yogi Adityanath seems to have successfully resisted his direct involvement in Lok Bhawan

Ever since Arvind Kumar Sharma cut short his bureaucratic career and , the political corridors of Lucknow were rife with theories over his future role in Uttar Pradesh politics. Some speculated his entry into the ruling party in his home State and subsequent election as a Member of Legislative Council was a stepping stone to his induction into the Cabinet of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He could have also played second-in-command to the CM, it was speculated. However, all such talk was put to rest last week after U.P. BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh, soon after his return from Delhi where he met the central leadership of the party, , an already crowded space. Mr. Sharma became the 17th vice-president of the BJP in the State, joining the likes of leaders much junior to him such as Pankaj Singh, the son of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Daya Shankar Singh, who was arrested for his misogynistic remarks against BSP supremo Mayawati in 2016. The BJP usually follows the philosophy of ‘one person, one post’, meaning Mr. Sharma may have to contend with an ornamental post in the organisation for now. The State goes to the poll early 2022.