Who is new BJP UP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary, influential Jat leader and confidante of Amit Shah?

The BJP has appointed Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister Bhupendra Chaudhary as the party’s chief in the state.

Chaudhary has replaced Swatantra Dev Singh, who has been made a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, as party chief.­

Let’s take a closer look at Chaudhary:

Early years and political career

Born in 1966, Chaudhary hails from a family of farmers.

As per DNA, Chaudhary studied till Class 12.

He joined the BJP in 1989 after a long stint with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

In 1999 he was asked to contest against Samajwadi patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav from the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat. He contested and lost.

He was made an MLC by the party in 2016.

As per The Quint, Chaudhary is purportedly close to home minister Amit Shah.

He gained organisational experience when he was in charge of western UP from 2011-18, as per the report.

As per The Week, Chaudhary is constantly on the move, checking in on schools, roads and healthcare facilities in rural areas. He also delights in interacting with children asking them to recite multiplication tables and poems, and heaping high praise in turn.

The appointment of Chaudhary is also said to be a “sort of a middle-path arrangement given the ongoing tug-of-war between the state and the central leadership”.

Chaudhary also has a history of making inflammatory statements – from claiming AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi would be forced to wear a jeneu (sacred thread) and chant ‘Ram’ if the BJP won the 2022 Vidhan Sabha polls to claiming the SP’s ‘obstinate attitude’ cost it the elections and that the BJP is in ‘election mode’ 365 days of the year.

BJP eyes 2024 polls

His 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, ahead of the 2024 polls.

Uttar Pradesh sends the most MPs to the Lok Sabha.

Chaudhary played an important role in winning over the Jats in the western UP belt in the recently concluded UP Assembly elections.

Sources told The Tribune India the appointment was in appreciation for his control over the Jat votes where the BJP did well despite the challenge from the Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal.

His appointment is said to be a “sort of a middle-path arrangement given the ongoing tug-of-war between the state and the central leadership” sources further told the newspaper.

With the appointment of Chaudhary, also the state Minister for Panchayati Raj, Uttar Pradesh has become the third state where the BJP will be headed by a Jat leader, after OP Dhankar in Haryana and Satish Poonia in Rajasthan.

As the chief minister hails from eastern Uttar Pradesh, 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 president.

Yogi offers congratulations

Yogi Adityanath has congratulated Chaudhary, saying his “energetic leadership” will set new benchmarks for the party’s success.

“Hearty congratulations and best wishes to senior and popular politician Shri Bhupendra Singh Choudhary ji on becoming the President of @BJP4UP

Undoubtedly, under your energetic leadership, BJP will set new benchmarks of success in the state with the spirit of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’,” Adityanath tweeted in Hindi.

“He is an organised man and somebody who has conducted himself extremely well in whatever responsibility he has been given. He has all the abilities and the capabilities to hold the post in a crucial state like Uttar Pradesh,” BJP’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge Satya Kumar told ANI.

“It is a very crucial representation given the fact that the chief minister is from the eastern part of the state, one deputy CM from the central part of UP and now the party state president will represent the western part of the state,” Kumar added.

With inputs from agencies

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