"Division of state is inevitable": UP Minister OP Rajbhar stakes claim to future Purvanchal Chief Ministership

Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Monday revived the debate over dividing India's most populous state, calling the split of Uttar Pradesh into four smaller states inevitable.

Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Monday revived the debate over dividing India's most populous state, calling the split of Uttar Pradesh into four smaller states inevitable. Speaking with ANI, he added that making a leader from the Rajbhar community the Chief Minister of the proposed Purvanchal state would be a non-negotiable condition for any future electoral alliance.

Addressing attendees in the region, Rajbhar cited demographic strength and significant vote share across the eastern belt to back his political claim. "The division of the state is inevitable. When the state is divided—encompassing regions like Purvanchal, Madhyanchal, Bundelkhand, and Harit Pradesh—if you look at the area where we are currently seated, starting from Ambedkar Nagar, the Rajbhar community holds the largest vote share across the entire Purvanchal region. Therefore, for any party entering into an alliance, it will be a predetermined condition that the Chief Minister of the future Purvanchal state will be from the Rajbhar community," said Rajbhar.

The idea of dividing India's most populous state fits into a blueprint that has been debated in UP politics for decades. Under the proposal, Purvanchal — covering Eastern Uttar Pradesh — is marked by high population density and faces challenges of unemployment and migration, but holds significant political sway. Madhyanchal or Awadh Pradesh, covering the central region, would be anchored by major administrative and economic hubs like Lucknow and Kanpur. Bundelkhand in the south is a resource-strained, drought-prone zone whose development depends heavily on major water infrastructure projects. Harit Pradesh or Paschim Pradesh, comprising Western Uttar Pradesh, has rapid economic growth potential due to its proximity to the National Capital Region and strong agricultural infrastructure. While Rajbhar's remarks have triggered fresh debate ahead of the 2027 UP Assembly elections, he is not the first to propose such a restructure. In 1955, BR Ambedkar had suggested splitting Uttar Pradesh into three smaller states in his book Thoughts on Linguistic States. Later, in 2011, the Mayawati-led BSP government passed a formal resolution in the UP Assembly to divide the state into the same four regions. The proposal lapsed as the Centre took no further action.

At present, no official decision or legislative move has been initiated to implement the division. Earlier on Sunday, Rajbhar took a sharp swipe at Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav, alleging that the party took several decisions negatively impacting the Dalit community when it was in power in the state.

Targeting Yadav over his recent press conferences and political outreach, Rajbhar recalled the SP regime's controversial move to scrap reservation for Scheduled Caste employees in government services. "Akhilesh ji, it is good that you are holding a press conference. But when the Samajwadi Party was in power, it made several decisions impacting Dalits. They ended reservation in promotions for Dalits, affecting many employees. They are the same old people; they haven't changed," Rajbhar said.

The remarks come amid the Samajwadi Party's aggressive push on its 'PDA' (Pichhde, Dalit, Alpasankhyak) plank, aiming to consolidate backward classes, Dalits, and minorities in the state. (ANI)