With an eye on the Jatland of western Uttar Pradesh in view of 2024 elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party has appointed Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary as the president of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the party.
Bhupendra Singh, a Jat leader, is Panchayati Raj Minister in the Yogi Adityanath government and is a member of the UP Legislative Council. He has replaced Swatantra Dev Singh, who is Jal Shakti Minister in the UP government and hails from Bundelkhand.
Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary’s appointment as the UP BJP chief is a clear indication that the party wants to keep its Jat votes intact as this vote base is slipping away from the ruling party after last year's massive protests against the contentious farm laws and the indications are that the farmers might start their agitation before the Lok Sabha elections once again. His appointment is also seen as an attempt to dent the influence of the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance in west UP where the Jat community holds sway in about 20 Lok Sabha constituencies.
The post of UP BJP president had fallen vacant after Swatantra Dev Singh was made a minister in March 2022 as BJP has a policy under which one person cannot hold two posts. Many names had started doing rounds. On Sunday last, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had created a stir when he tweeted to say: “Sangathan sarkar se bada hai (organisation is bigger than the government).” The tongues had started waging that Maurya could be the next UP BJP president.
But on Tuesday, Bhupendra Singh, who is considered close to Home Minister Amit Shah, was suddenly called to Delhi by the party, sparking speculations that he might be made the state president. On Thursday the announcement was made.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary on his appointment, 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 Choudharyji 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'," he tweeted in Hindi.
In his statement, Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary thanked the party leadership for appointing him as the state president. “BJP workers are always in election mode. Modi has led the party to success in the last four elections and we will continue this sequence in future too,” he said.
He also said that he would remove shortcomings in the party as the BJP would sweep the 2024 elections too.