UP will be split into 4 parts after caste census: NDA ally OP Rajbhar's big remark

Uttar Pradesh minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Sunday said the state would be divided into four parts after a caste census.

Speaking at the SBSP's 'Samajik Samrasta Maha Rally', he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "assured" him that the division could happen after the caste count.

Rajbhar also spoke about 27 per cent reservation and urged supporters not to be swayed by the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party or Congress. His remarks have revived a debate over the division of Uttar Pradesh that has resurfaced repeatedly over the past two decades, including before earlier Assembly polls.

Addressing the rally in Deoria, Rajbhar said, "We want to assure you regarding the 27 per cent reservation. I spoke with the Prime Minister about this."

Recounting the conversation he claims to have had with PM Modi, Rajbhar said, "He (PM Modi) said, 'Om Prakash ji, your point is justified, but some people are opposing it.' I asked him how we could move forward, and he replied, 'I will conduct a caste census, and once we have counted the castes, there will be no difficulty in carrying out the division.' We will do the division after the caste census. Now tell me, should we trust the prime minister or the people of the SP, BSP, and Congress?"'

Calling on the youngsters to not lose courage, he said, "The state will be divided into four parts. And on the day the Purvanchal state is formed, if the Chief Minister is to be from any caste, then a Rajbhar's son will become the Chief Minister. Keep this in mind while working. Do not be misled into joining the SP, BSP or the Congress."

Rajbhar's party is currently allied with the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. The state is due to go to the polls in early 2027.

He also told the gathering, "Today, at least when a Rajbhar youth wears a yellow scarf, he can be easily recognised as the son of a Rajbhar. And if anyone has given us this identity, it is Om Prakash Rajbhar."

Rajbhars are counted among the most backward castes and are seen as influential in several parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, has a population of around 250 million and is geographically the fourth-largest state in India.

The demand to divide Uttar Pradesh goes back nearly 20 years. Ahead of the 2012 Assembly polls, then Chief Minister and BSP chief Mayawati pushed for the state's division and got the Assembly's approval for splitting Uttar Pradesh into Awadh Pradesh, Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Paschim Pradesh.

On January 15, 2008, Mayawati had said her government proposed dividing Uttar Pradesh into three states, with Purvanchal and Bundelkhand to be carved out of the existing state, subject to the Centre's approval.

In 2011, her government sent a proposal to the Centre to split the state into four parts: Purvanchal, Paschim Pradesh, Awadh Pradesh and Bundelkhand.

In 2008, shortly before Mayawati's statement, a delegation led by then Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi met then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded a Second States Reorganisation Commission.

Other parties, including the Rashtriya Lok Dal and Congress, as well as several organisations, have also raised the demand for dividing Uttar Pradesh. There have also been calls for a separate Bundelkhand state covering parts of Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh was last reorganised in 2000, when Uttarakhand, then called Uttaranchal, was carved out during the NDA-led central government.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 21, 2026 12:51 IST