Division of UP: A reality check

Only a division can solve the problems and remove the inherent imbalances in the state, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati said.

In a move that chief minister Mayawati said was inspired by BR Ambedkar, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday decided to divide the state into four: Purvanchal, Pashchim Pradesh, Bundelkhand and Awadh Pradesh.

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While Mayawati had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue, her cabinet took a formal decision to take it up as a resolution in the state assembly during the winter session beginning Nov 21.

"We will get a resolution passed by the assembly to divide the state into four smaller states during the coming winter session to be opened on Nov 21," Mayawati said at a press conference here.

Explaining the rationale behind the move, she added: "As we all know, UP is the country's most populous state with the population shooting up to nearly 20 crore, which means that 16 percent of the country's population lives. It also has a gigantic area of 240,000 sq km and that is what makes it unwieldy."

Only a division can solve the problems and remove the inherent imbalances, the chief minister said.

How would Mayawati gain from the division of the state?

Coming a few months before the elections this is a deft political move. It could well ward off anti-incumbency and generate regional sympathies.

Procedure for forming new states

Step 1: First a state's General Administration Department prepares a proposal containing all details — essentially boundaries and maps.

Step 2: Then the proposal is adopted by the state cabinet.

Step 3: Then the government tables it in the House.

Step 4: Once it is adopted, it goes to the central government as inclusion of more states requires a constitutional amendment.

Step 5: If the central government agrees it prepares a fresh draft and tables it in Parliament.

Step 6: Once it is adopted it is sent back to the state for a final passage.

Step 7: Once the state ratifies it, a new state/states come into existence.

There has not been any authorised demarcation for the new states so far except making four states out of UP. But this is how the regions would be placed in a likely scenario:

Paschim Pradesh (Western UP)

Population: 44,640,086

No of districts: 17

Seats in proposed Assembly: 89

Seats in Lok Sabha: 18

Proposed capital: If Harit Pradesh comes up then it will be Meerut. If the eastern districts go to NCR and the rest merged with Central UP, then Lucknow is likely to remain the capital.

Poorvanchal (Eastern UP)

Population:78,145,167

No of districts: 26

Seats in proposed Assembly: 158

Seats in Lok Sabha: 31

Proposed capital: Allahabad/Varanasi/Goraknpur

Bundelkhand

(Till now seven districts of UP used to be considered as part of the Bundelkhand region of UP. They were Jalaun, Jhansi, Mahoba, Chitrakoot, Lalitpur, Banda and Hamirpur. However, it is likely that four more districts—Kanpur dehat, Kaushambhi, Fatehpur and Auriya would be added to it to make the proposed state bigger)

Population: 17,056,654

No of districts: 11

Seats in proposed Assembly: 35

Seats in Lok Sabha: 7

Proposed capital: Jhansi/Banda

Awadh Pradesh (Central UP)

Population: 57,604,534

No of districts: 21

Seats in proposed Assembly: 121

Seats in Lok Sabha: 25

Proposed capital: Lucknow

This would be likely scenario if the state was divided

Total districts: 75

1. Western UP

Saharanpur

Muzzafarnagar

Bijnore

Amroha (Jyotiba Phule nagar)

Moradabad

Bagpat

Meerut

Ghaziabad

Gautam Buddh Nagar

Bulandsheher

Aligarh

Mathura

Agra

Panchsheel Nagar (Hapur)

Prabuddh Nagar (Shamli)

Bheemnagar (Sambhal)

Mahamayanagar(Hatras)

2. Poorvanchal (Eastern UP)

Behraich

Shravasti

Balrampur

Gonda

Faizabad

Sultanpur

Ambedkar Nagar

Basti

Sidharth Nagar

Maharajganj

Gorakhpur

Kushinagar

Deoria

Azamgarh

Mau

Ballia

Ghasipur

Varanasi

Jaunpur

Chandauli

Mirzapur

Sonebhadra

Allahabad

Sant Kabir nagar

Sant Ravidas Nagar (Bhadoi)

Pratapgarh

3. Bundelkhand

Jalaun

Jhansi

Banda

Mahoba

Lalitpur

Hamirpur

Chitrakoot

Kaushambhi

Kanpur Dehat

Fatehpur

Auriya

4. Central UP

Badayun

Bareilly

Rampur

Pilibhit

Shahjehanpur

Kheri

Sitapur

Barabanki

Rae Bareilly

Unnao

Lucknow

Hardoi

Kanpur city

Kannauj

Farukhabad

Etawah

Mainpuri

Ferozabad

Etah

Kanshiram nagar

Chatrapati Shahuji Maharaj nagar