Bhupendra Chaudhary is new UP BJP chief

Lucknow, Aug 25: Uttar Pradesh minister Bhupendra Chaudhary has been appointed as the BJP's state unit chief on Wednesday.

Chaudhary is a Jat leader from western Uttar Pradesh. The Jat community has influence in over 25 seats in western UP.

He will replace Swatantra Dev Singh, who has been made the minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led government.

The appointment of Chaudhary is seen as 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.

Also, as CM Adityanath hails from eastern Uttar Pradesh, the BJP looks to strike a regional balance with the appointment of Chaudhary as the party's state chief.

Notably, Uttar Pradesh is the third state where the BJP will be headed by a Jat leader, after OP Dhankar in Haryana and Satish Poonia in Rajasthan.

On 10 June 2016, he was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council. He is cabinet minister for Panchayati Raj in Uttar Pradesh Government.

Meanwhile, Rajeev Bhattacharya was appointed as Tripura BJP President and the party's national Vice President Saudan Singh has been made the election in charge of Himachal Pradesh.

Devendra Singh Rana has been appointed as joint election in charge for Himachal Pradesh.