The BJP on Thursday appointed Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Bhupendra Chaudhary as the party's chief in the state. 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.

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 O P Dhankar in Haryana and Satish Poonia in Rajasthan.

He replaces Swatantra Dev Singh, who has been made a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.?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.

(With PTI inputs)