Ex-MLA Mahendra Bhatt is Uttarakhand BJP chief

The BJP on Saturday appointed former Badrinath MLA Mahendra Bhatt as president of its Uttarakhand unit, replacing Madan Kaushik, an MLA from Haridwar.

The decision is seen as the party's attempt to strike a balance between the hill region of Garhwal and Kumaon and the plains, represented by Kaushik.

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, a Thakur, is from Kumaon region, while Bhatt, a Brahmin, is from the Garhwal hill region.


A native of Brahman Khala village in Chamoli district, Bhatt had participated in the "Uttarakhand Rajya Andolan" (movement for statehood status).

In 2002, he was elected to the state assembly from Nandprayag seat.

He entered the state assembly for a second time after winning the assembly polls from Badrinath in 2017 but lost the assembly polls held earlier this year from the same constituency.