Congress’s Imran Masood has backed SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar’s call to divide Uttar Pradesh. Masood suggested creating separate states of West UP, East UP, and Bundelkhand, citing administrative and travel difficulties in the large state.
Congress Leader Backs Division of UP
Congress leader Imran Masood on Monday backed the idea of dividing Uttar Pradesh into smaller states, responding to recent remarks by Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar that the state could be divided into four parts in the future. Masood said he would support the division of Uttar Pradesh, arguing that the state’s large geographical size makes administration and travel difficult.
“I support the division of Uttar Pradesh. I would be very happy if Uttar Pradesh is divided because it is a very big state and it will benefit the country. Uttar Pradesh is such a big state that if you have to travel from one corner to another, it takes more than 24 hours. There are many countries in the world that are smaller than Uttar Pradesh,” Masood said.
Proposed Three-Way Split
Masood further said people in Western Uttar Pradesh have to travel around 800 kilometres to seek justice. Suggesting a possible structure for division, Masood said Western Uttar Pradesh, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bundelkhand should be made separate states. “The West should become a separate state, the East should become a separate state, and Bundelkhand should become a separate state. People in Western Uttar Pradesh have been demanding this for a long time,” he said.
Rajbhar Revives Debate with Political Condition
Earlier in the day, Rajbhar revived the debate over dividing India’s most populous state, calling the split of Uttar Pradesh into four smaller states inevitable. Speaking with ANI, he added that making a leader from the Rajbhar community the Chief Minister of the proposed Purvanchal state would be a non-negotiable condition for any future electoral alliance.
Addressing attendees in the region, Rajbhar cited demographic strength and significant vote share across the eastern belt to back his political claim. “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.
Historical Precedent for State Division
While Rajbhar’s remarks have triggered fresh debate ahead of the 2027 UP Assembly elections, he is not the first to propose such a restructure. In 1955, BR Ambedkar had suggested splitting Uttar Pradesh into three smaller states in his book Thoughts on Linguistic States. Later, in 2011, the Mayawati-led BSP government passed a formal resolution in the UP Assembly to divide the state into the same four regions. The proposal lapsed as the Centre took no further action. At present, no official decision or legislative move has been initiated to implement the division. (ANI)
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