UP Assembly passes motion to split state into 4

Lucknow: Mayawati government's resolution to divide Uttar Pradesh into four parts - Purvanchal (Eastern UP), Harit Pradesh (Western UP), Bundelkhand and Awadh Pradesh (Central UP) - has been passed by the state Assembly.

The resolution to divide the state was tabled by Chief Minister Mayawati and passed by a voice vote on Monday, the first day of Uttar Pradesh Assembly's winter session.

Soon after the resolution to divide the state was passed, the Vote on Account, too, was moved and passed by the Assembly following which the House was adjourned indefinitely.

The Opposition called the Mayawati government's move to pass the resolution by a voice vote and then adjourn the Assembly as dictatorial. Senior Smajawadi Party leader Azam Khan compared Mayawati to Hitler.

"This is another example of Mayawati's dictatorial way of governing UP," said BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh.

Lok Sabha MP from Khushi Nagar and Union Minister of State, Petroleum and Natural Gas and Corporate Affairs, RPN Singh called the passing of the resolution a shocking move.

"Mayawati has made democracy a mockery. She should have first faced the no-confidence motion. Mayawati's move is shocking and it is a very sad day for people in UP," said Singh.

Now the resolution to create the four new states will go to the Union Cabinet for clearance and the final motion will have to be passed by Parliament with 2/3rd majority in both the Houses.

The Assembly was earlier adjourned till 12:20 PM soon after the House convened as the Opposition parties particularly Samajwadi Party MLAs shouted slogans and showed placards accusing the Mayawati government of being corrupt.

Earlier, the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had given a notice to Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Sukhadeo Rajbhar to bring a no-confidence motion against the BSP government. The Congress had decided to support the motion moved by the Samajwadi Party.

The Samajwadi Party has been claiming that Chief Minister Mayawati has lost the majority in the Assembly as the BSP has denied tickets to 40 sitting MLAs for the upcoming Assembly elections. Samajwadi Party leaders say that the BSP MLAs who have been denied tickets are no longer supporting the government.

Uttar Pradesh has 403 Assembly seats with the BSP having 221 MLAs, Samajwadi Party 88, BJP 48 and the Congress 20 members. The effective strength of the Assembly is 395 as there are eight vacancies and Mayawati enjoys the support of 219 MLAs as two of her party members - Jitendra Kumar Singh Babloo and Dasharath Prasad Chauhan - have been disqualified under the Anti-Defection Law by the Speaker.

However, the problem for Mayawati is that apart from the 40 MLAs who have been denied tickets there are 20 other MLAs against whom she has taken action in the last one year due to various charges and there are indications that the Opposition parties will try to exploit this weakness of the BSP during the winter session of Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

UP split: Who gains, who loses

Mayawati gains politically as her core constituency - Dalits - are evenly spread throughout the state.

Samajwadi Party's 8.7 per cent core Yadav vote is not uniform. One chunk is in Eastern UP and another in Etawah, Mainpuri and Etah belt.

RLD has been campaigning for Harit Pradesh in Western UP region. It is bound to gain there because of the dominant Jats.

The Congress like the BSP has influence in all regions, but it's far too thin, so no visible gain.

The BJP has influence in Eastern UP because of caste equation of Rajputs and Brahmins.

What does Mayawati's proposal of diving the state mean for Uttar Pradesh?

Purvanchal or Eastern UP will have 32 districts and home town of seven Prime Ministers of India, Allahabad could be its capital. The holy city of Varanasi or Gorakhpur have also been proposed.

Central UP or Awadh Pradesh, which is so far not in the demand list of any political party, will get 14 districts with the present capital Lucknow, city of nawabs as its proposed capital.

Harit Pradesh, comprising 22 districts in west UP has Meerut as its proposed capital.

Jhansi or Banda is the proposed capital of Bundelkhand, which has been the demand for the Congress party and it gets 7 districts.