Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary returns to Yogi cabinet after four years

Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary returned to the Yogi Adityanath government as minister after nearly four years. The prominent Jat leader from western Uttar Pradesh was sworn in during the state Cabinet expansion, marking his fourth ministerial stint

Lucknow: Former UP BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, a prominent Jat leader from western Uttar Pradesh who was on Sunday sworn in as a minister for the fourth time, has returned to the Yogi Adityanath government after nearly four years. A native of Moradabad, Chaudhary, 57, was associated with the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and played an active role in the Ram Temple movement.

He joined the BJP in 1989 and carved a distinct niche for himself within the organisation, rising from a leadership role in the party’s Moradabad district unit to becoming the regional president of the western UP wing. He subsequently became the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit chief in August 2022, a post he held till December 2025.

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Chaudhary contested the 1999 Lok Sabha election from the Sambhal constituency against Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, but lost. He became a member of the Legislative Council for the first time in 2016 and currently remains a member of the Upper House.

Following the formation of the BJP government in the state in 2017, he was appointed as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Panchayati Raj. Later, in 2019, he was elevated to the position of Cabinet Minister for the same department.

Subsequently, in 2022, when the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath, returned to power, Chaudhary took the oath as a minister for the third time. In August 2022, Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary was appointed as the state BJP president and quit the government.

He continued to lead the party’s state unit until December 2025, when (the current chief) Pankaj Chaudhary — Union Minister of State for Finance — was appointed as the UP BJP president. Nearly six months later, on Sunday, Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary took the oath of office as a minister for the fourth time during the second cabinet expansion of the Yogi Adityanath government 2.0.

A BJP office-bearer said that May 10 holds double the joy for Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, as it also marks his wedding anniversary. Two cabinet ministers and four state ministers were inducted into the Uttar Pradesh government, while two state ministers were promoted to independent charge on Sunday.