SBSP chief Rajbhar’s claim on U.P. division ignites fresh debate as opposition hit out at NDA

‘Once the caste census is completed, there will be no problem in carrying out the division; we will divide the State after the caste census; this is what the Prime Minister of the country said,’ Om Prakash Rajbhar says

Published - September 22, 2026 03:20 am IST - Lucknow

Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar. File | Photo Credit: ANI

Cabinet Minister in the Uttar Pradeshgovernment and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar on Monday (September 21, 2026) claimed that U.P. will be divided into four parts soon, and the Purvanchal region will get a Chief Minister from the Rajbhar caste; the assertion brought fresh focus on demands for the division of the State.

While the BJP played down the issue, the Congress hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over double-speak, as Mr. Rajbhar referred to his conversation with the PM on the division of the State.

“Once the caste census is completed, there will be no problem in carrying out the division. We will divide the State after the caste census. This is what the Prime Minister of the country said,” said Mr. Rajbhar, a partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh, while addressing a public meeting in Ambedkarnagar district, and referred to his dialogue with Mr. Modi and claimed that the PM told him that the division of the State could happen after the caste census.

Mr. Rajbhar further added, “The day a separate Purvanchal State is created, the first Chief Minister will be a son of the Rajbhar community. When the State is divided, there will be Purvanchal, Madhyanchal, Bundelkhand and Harit Pradesh. The Rajbhar community has the largest vote base in Purvanchal,” he said.

The claim brought fresh focus on demands for the division of the State, as many social and regional outfits pushed for creating states of Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Harit Pradesh and Madhyanchal.

“The demand for a separate Purvanchal is long pending. We are happy that Om Prakash Rajbhar is raising the issue; the economic and social dynamics of Eastern U.P. are fundamentally different from Western U.P. We hope the demand for division will reach a logical conclusion,” said Devesh Chaubey, who is associated with Purvanchal Vikas Parishad.

Before the 2012 Assembly election, the U.P. government led by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) passed a proposal in the state assembly to divide Uttar Pradesh into four parts, but failed to get Central government’s approval.

Congress alleged that the fresh claim by Mr. Rajbhar is aimed at remaining relevant in the politics of Purvanchal (Eastern U.P.) as his own community is drifting rapidly towards the opposition INDIA alliance.

“In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Rajbhar social group supported the INDIA alliance. Om Prakash Rajbhar’s political stake has diminished in the last two years; such a statement is coming out of frustration amid a push to remain relevant in the region’s politics, but the Rajbhar community understands that Om Prakash Rajbhar has done nothing for the region or the community; hence they are supporting the SP-Congress alliance,” said Shahnawaz Alam, National Secretary, Congress.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) said the BJP and its alliance work on the policy of divide and rule, with the statement reflecting the same. “BJP and its allies have a history of divide and rule. Instead of speaking about what development work they have done in the last 10-years, such a statement highlights that the NDA has nothing to present in front of the public; we are fundamentally against the division of Uttar Pradesh,” said Sunil Singh Yadav ‘Sajan’, the SP spokesperson.

The BJP leaders declined to speak on Mr. Rajbhar’s comment.

Published - September 22, 2026 03:20 am IST

Uttar Pradesh / government / Bharatiya Janata Party / National Democratic Alliance / Bahujan Samaj Party / Indian National Congress / Samajwadi Party / Narendra Modi

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