Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Monday said the division of Uttar Pradesh into four smaller states was “inevitable”, reviving a long-standing political debate over the restructuring of the country’s most populous state.
Speaking to ANI, Rajbhar said making a leader from the Rajbhar community the chief minister of a proposed Purvanchal state would be a non-negotiable condition for any future electoral alliance.
Addressing attendees in the region, Rajbhar cited the community’s population and vote share across eastern Uttar Pradesh to support his demand.
"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.
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What the four-state proposal entails
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What the four-state proposal entails
{{/usCountry}}The proposal to divide Uttar Pradesh has been debated in state politics for decades. Under the proposed four-way split, Purvanchal would comprise eastern Uttar Pradesh, while Madhyanchal or Awadh Pradesh would cover the central region. Bundelkhand would form the southern region, and Harit Pradesh or Paschim Pradesh would comprise western Uttar Pradesh.
Purvanchal, which has a high population density, has long faced challenges including unemployment and migration, while remaining politically significant.
Madhyanchal would include major administrative and economic centres such as Lucknow and Kanpur. Bundelkhand is a drought-prone and resource-constrained region, while western Uttar Pradesh has benefited from its proximity to the National Capital Region and a strong agricultural base.
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Ambedkar, Mayawati had backed state division
Rajbhar's remarks come ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and have renewed debate over the proposal. However, he is not the first political figure to call for the state's division.
In 1955, BR Ambedkar proposed dividing Uttar Pradesh into three smaller states in his book Thoughts on Linguistic States. In 2011, the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government passed a resolution in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly proposing the division of the state into four regions. The proposal, however, did not progress as the Centre took no further action.
At present, no official decision or legislative move has been initiated to implement the division of Uttar Pradesh.
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Rajbhar takes aim at Akhilesh Yadav
A day earlier, Rajbhar took a swipe at Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, alleging that the party had taken several decisions that adversely affected the Dalit community during its tenure in power in Uttar Pradesh.
Targeting Yadav over his recent press conferences and political outreach, Rajbhar referred to the SP government's decision to end reservation for Scheduled Caste employees in government promotions.
"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.
His remarks come as the Samajwadi Party steps up its political outreach around its 'PDA' (Pichhde, Dalit, Alpasankhyak) plank, seeking to consolidate backward classes, Dalits and minorities in Uttar Pradesh.