The Bharatiya Janata Party today announced the appointment of Bhupendra Chaudhary as the new president of its Uttar Pradesh unit. A minister in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet, Chaudhary is an old BJP hand who has devoted over three decades to the organisation. A Jat leader and two-time minister, Chaudhary’s appointment is being seen as an attempt by the BJP to woo the community which had played a prominent role in the farmers’ protest against the government over the now-withdrawn laws.

His appointment also comes across as an attempt by the party to strike a balance between the western and eastern regions of the state – while Yogi Adityanath hails from Gorakhpur in eastern UP, Chaudhary is from Moradabad in western UP. Chaudhary will replace Swatantra Dev Singh as the UP BJP president after the former was appointed a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.

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Who is Bhupendra Chaudhary?

Born in 1966 in a farmer’s family in Mehandari Sikandarpur village in Kanth, Moradabad, the 56-year-old leader from the ‘Jatland’ currently serves as the Minister for Panchayati Raj in CM Yogi’s cabinet. Having received his primary education in his native village, Chaudhary completed his Class 12 from RN Inter College in Moradabad.

A strong Jat leader, Chaudhary’s influence in western UP is seen as a prominent reason behind the BJP’s performance in the region despite the farmers’ agitation during the last assembly elections in the state. 
His association with the BJP dates back to 1989 when he first joined the party. A year later, he was appointed as Moradabad president, Vihwa Hindu Parishad and went on to be appointed as treasurer, Moradabad BJP in 1994, general secretary, BJP Moradabad in 1995 before serving as the district party president from 1996 to 2000.

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In 1999, Chaudhary contested the Lok Sabha elections against Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav from Sambhal but lost. However, the BJP kept faith in the leader despite his loss. From 2000-2007, Chaudhary served as district coordinator for the BJP in Moradabad.

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Between 2007 and 2011, Chaudhary served as the party in charge of western Uttar Pradesh before being appointed president of the regional unit of the party, a position he served for seven years till 2018. In 2016, he was elected a Member of the Legislative Council and was appointed as Minister of State with independent charge in 2017, handling the Panchayati Raj portfolio. In 2019, he was elevated as a cabinet minister with the same portfolio which he continued till March 25, 2022, when a reshuffle was undertaken