Decode Politics: Why Mayawati’s west UP statehood promise has ruffled feathers

When did the issue come up last?

The last time “concrete steps” on the issue of reorganising Uttar Pradesh were taken was in 2011 when the Mayawati government passed a resolution in the Assembly. The resolution proposed to divide the state into west UP, central UP, east UP and Bundelkhand, citing the ease of administration. The BSP government also took initial steps to carve out three new districts – Panchsheel Nagar, Prabudh Nagar, and Bhim Nagar – in west UP.

In 2019, the BSP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) contested the Lok Sabha polls in alliance and collectively won six seats in the region. While Bijnor, Nagina, and Amroha were won by the BSP, the SP emerged victorious in Moradabad, Sambhal, and Mainpuri.

What happened to the resolution?

UP’s division is seen as a sensitive subject among political circles as it sends the highest number of MPs — 80 — to Parliament and its division seemingly upsets their calculations.

Since reorganisation features in the central list, Mayawati’s 2011 resolution was never pursued further as the Congress-led UPA government did not pay much heed to it. Moreover, apart from the Jayant Chaudhary-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), the resolution faced stiff opposition from the BJP, Congress, and the SP in the Assembly. A year later, the BSP was voted out of power.

Have leaders brought it up?

While the BJP and Congress have stayed clear of making committal statements on the issue, their leaders have put the parties in a spot from time to time. Last year, Muzaffarnagar MP and Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan made a pitch for a separate state to be carved out of west UP but the BJP said it was his personal opinion. The party made it clear that its efforts were directed at uniting regions with schemes such as “one district, one product”. Balyan’s pitch was seen as a move to woo Jats in the region.

The RLD, which is a constituent of the BJP-led NDA and has been pitching for statehood for West UP as “Harit Pradesh”, is also in a fix. In the past, the party has stated that the composition, agriculture and issues of the region are markedly different from the rest of the state but now is forced not to push the demand aggressively as it is a BJP ally.

Other BJP allies such as Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) are faced with a similar situation. Rajbhar recently announced that “Purvanchal” would be carved out of UP after the Lok Sabha elections.

What do parties say now?

“In 2011, when Behenji was CM, she had taken the initiative to carve our smaller districts from big ones for better development of the state. She has advocated the concept of smaller states and we are supportive of the idea of smaller regions for better governance,” BSP state president Vishwanath Pal told The Indian Express.

BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said while no proposal to divide UP was under consideration, such topics are sensitive and must be considered only after special committees are constituted and a proper survey is held. “Such issues are being raised during the election for political benefits. The BSP cadre is not working on the ground and hence the party wants to depend on emotional issues. The division of a state is a serious issue,” he said.

While the Congress chose to stay silent on the issue, its ally SP said it was not in favour of “divisive politics”. “Experience from other states which have been divided show that there is not much to show in terms of development. Take for instance Uttarakhand, which was carved out of UP. Smaller states have law-and-order problems. Moreover, bigger states get bigger budgets and projects. Division may only help the political interests of a few,” said SP leader Udaiveer Singh.