Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, on Thursday, 25 August, was appointed as the new chief of the party's Uttar Pradesh unit.
He will replace Swatantra Dev Singh who has been made a minister in the Yogi government.
This comes amid speculations about the party appointing a new chief following Swatantra's resignation. The appointment is also crucial in light of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Chaudhary, who is currently the minister for Panchayati Raj in Yogi Adityanath's cabinet, is serving a second term as a minister in the government.
The announcement comes after his reported meeting with BJP president JP Nadda on Wednesday.
The new chief, who is purported to be close to Home Minister Amit Shah, derived sound organisational experience when he was in charge of western UP from 2011-18.
'Owaisi Will Chant Ram Ram if BJP Comes to Power in UP'
Chaudhary, who is known for his inflammatory remarks, had earlier said that if the BJP came to power in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi "would be forced to wear a janeu (sacred thread) and chant Ram Ram."
He had also taken on the Samajwadi Party, saying that it was their obstinate attitude that had cost them in the elections.
Bhupendra Chaudhary's Appointment an Outreach to Jats in UP
Chaudhary's appointment is seen as the BJP's attempt to reach out to the influential Jat community, which was at the forefront of the year-long farmers' protest against the three contentious farm laws, in UP.
Uttar Pradesh is now the third state where the BJP will be headed by a Jat leader, after OP Dhankar in Haryana and Satish Poonia in Rajasthan.
As per sources, the BJP also looks to strike a regional balance with the appointment of Chaudhary, who is from western Uttar Pradesh, as the party's state chief.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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