The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday named UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh, UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, vice president Laxman Prasad Acharya and former IAS officer Arvind Kumar Sharma as its candidates for the biennial elections to 12 legislative council seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Among the contenders, Sharma is an interesting pick who is said to be a close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for two decades. He took voluntary retirement this week to join the BJP.
After his six-year stint in the Prime Minister's Office, Sharma was serving as the secretary in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the Modi government. Reports state that he completed his schooling from Mau and post-graduation in political science from Allahabad University.