Stories
UP Split Into 4 States: Rajbhar's Plan or Poll Gambit? Law, Odds, Loopholes
- •Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar revives a decades-old demand to split the state into four parts, claiming PM Modi assured him the division would follow a caste census.
- •The proposal, which includes Purvanchal, Paschim Pradesh, Bundelkhand, and Awadh Pradesh, was previously formalized by Mayawati's government in 2011 but never received central approval.
- •Creating a new state is governed by Article 3 of the Constitution, requiring a Presidential recommendation and a simple majority in Parliament, which is not bound by the state assembly's opinion.
- •Administratively, splitting UP is complex, involving the division of revenue, debt, resources, and the establishment of new bureaucracies, police cadres, and high courts.
- •While smaller states could offer easier governance, the costs of establishing four new capitals and secretariats are significant, and a divided UP would lose its national political leverage.
Key Questions Answered
Under Article 3 of the Constitution, a reorganisation bill requires a presidential reference to introduce it in Parliament, consultation with the UP Assembly for its opinion, and a simple majority vote in both Houses of Parliament. The President then gives final assent for the new states to form.
The formal four-way division of Uttar Pradesh was previously attempted in November 2011 by the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party government, which pushed a resolution through the UP Assembly. However, that resolution never received central government approval and remained dormant.
The four regions commonly proposed for the division of Uttar Pradesh are Purvanchal (Eastern UP), Paschim Pradesh or Harit Pradesh (Western UP), Bundelkhand (Southern UP), and Awadh Pradesh or Madhyanchal (Central UP).
