Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief and Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar stated on Wednesday that if Uttar Pradesh is divided into smaller states in the future, the first chief minister of those new states will be from the Rajbhar community.
Speaking in Jaunpur, Rajbhar referenced the demands for separate regions such as Bundelkhand and Purvanchal, citing the formations of Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand from Bihar as precedents. He said, “People in Bundelkhand talk about Bundelkhand, and people in Purvanchal talk about Purvanchal. Uttarakhand was formed from this very Uttar Pradesh. Jharkhand was formed from Bihar. Whenever the province is divided, the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh will be the son of Rajbhar.”
Earlier on Monday, Rajbhar revived calls for dividing India’s most populous state, describing the split of Uttar Pradesh into four smaller states as inevitable. 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, Rajbhar cited the demographic strength and significant vote share of the Rajbhar community in eastern Uttar Pradesh to support his claim. He said, “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 The state will be from the Rajbhar community.”
The proposal to divide Uttar Pradesh has been debated in state politics for decades. The suggested divisions include Purvanchal in eastern Uttar Pradesh, noted for its high population density and challenges such as unemployment and migration but significant political influence; Madhyanchal or Awadh Pradesh in the central region, anchored by cities like Lucknow and Kanpur; Bundelkhand in the south, a drought-prone area reliant on major water infrastructure; and Harit Pradesh or Paschim Pradesh in the west, which benefits from proximity to the National Capital Region and strong agricultural infrastructure.
Rajbhar’s comments have reignited the debate ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. However, he is not the first to propose such restructuring. In 1955, BR Ambedkar recommended splitting Uttar Pradesh into three smaller states in his book Thoughts on Linguistic States. Later, in 2011, the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party government passed a resolution in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly to divide the state into the same four regions. The proposal did not advance as the central government took no further action.
Currently, no official decision or legislative move has been initiated to implement any division of Uttar Pradesh.