Will it help if Uttar Pradesh, from which Uttarakhand was carved out in 2000, is further subdivided? The issue has gained salience after chief minister Mayawati repeated her demand for UP’s trifurcation into Bundelkhand, Poorvanchal and Paschimanchal or Harit Pradesh. That would leave Awadh, or central UP, as the remnant of once the country’s political hub, carving up the humongous conglomerate into four smaller states. True, there isn’t any rousing public demand for these new states. But, the issue has become part of an intense political and academic debate. Much of this is because of the sheer size of UP, which is spread over 2.41 lakh sq km with a population of 19 crore. This would make it the size of the sixth largest country in the world. It also contains a wide cross-section of sociopolitical groups. Its share in the total area of the country is 7.3%, while in terms of population around 17%. So, did Mayawati say this just to pre-empt Ajit Singh who has long been demanding Harit Pradesh? Says the Rashtriya Lok Dal boss, ‘‘Mayawati is paying lip-service to the issue.’’ Raja Bundela of the Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha said the same. And the reason for their cynical response isn’t difficult to see. For, instead of adopting a resolution in the assembly calling for UP’s trifurcation, Mayawati has sought, merely, an assurance from the Centre — like one it gave on Telangana. But keeping aside politics, and also for the moment public opinion in the state, there would appear a clear case for further division of UP. This is because of the regional disparities in its geographical areas.
Four From One
1 Harit Pradesh : Will have 24 districts and 30 Lok Sabha seats (11 from Rohilkhand and 19 from West UP). Assembly seats: 150. While Dalit population is between 17% to 28%, it has nearly 30% OBCs like Jat, Lodh, Yadav. In Rampur and Moradabad, Muslim population is over 40%. RLD’s Ajit Singh stands to gain
2 Central UP or Awadh : Gandhi family’s home turf of Amethi and Rae Bareli are here. Aside from its central districts, the rest of Awadh is backward. Has 13 districts, 14 LS and 60 assembly seats. Dalit population is between 19-25%; Brahmins, 8-12%; and, Muslims 19-28%. Samajwadi Party strong
3 Bundelkhand : More than 80% of people here are below poverty line. Has seven districts, four LS, and 20 assembly seats. Dalits between 27-32%; Brahmins 9-14% and Muslims 6-8%. BSP opened its account in UP from here in 1993. Six MP districts, too, fall within Bundelkhand
4 Poorvanchal : Predominantly Bhojpuri speaking, it has 27 districts; 32 Lok Sabha and 160 assembly seats. Over 60% people below poverty line. The region includes Naxalinfested Vindhyachal. Dalits are between 19-23%, Brahmins 6-14% and Muslims 8-27%. Advantage BSP
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