BJP appoints Mahendra Bhatt its Uttarakhand unit chief

The BJP on Saturday appointed Mahendra Bhatt as the president of its Uttarakhand unit.

Bhatt, a former MLA of Nandaprayag in Chamoli district, replaces Haridwar MLA Mahesh Kaushik as the BJP's state unit chief. Bhatt lost in the assembly polls held earlier this year. With the appointment of Bhatt, a brahmin leader from the Garwhal region, the BJP has tried to strike a balance between caste and region. Chief Minster Pushkar Singh Dhami is a Thakur from the Kumaon region.

A senior party leader said Bhatt has risen through the ranks after working in Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the BJP's youth wing. He is of RSS background.