Spurred on by a powerful politician, lawmakers in Uttar Pradesh, India, want to divide the world’s most populous state into four smaller states.

 

With 200 million people, Uttar Pradesh is larger than all but five countries in the world. By comparison, the most populous state in the United States, California, has 37.3 million people. Guangdong Province in China has a population of 104 million.

 

The move to split up the state has been led by State Chief Minister Mayawati, who says the move will foster development and accountability for one of India’s poorest regions.

 

But the division of Uttar Pradesh will require approval from India’s central government, which is controlled by the Congress party. Giving Mayawati the four-way split of her state would mean giving her party (Bharatiya Janata) three more votes in the national legislature and possibly threaten the Congress party’s supremacy.

 

If the Congress party does approve the breakup of Uttar Pradesh, it could lend weight to efforts in two other states (Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra) to split themselves.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Lawmakers Call for Uttar Pradesh, India’s Most Populous State, to Split Into 4 (Associated Press)

Opposition United Against Mayawati’s Call to Divide Uttar Pradesh (by Vibhuti Agarwal, India Real Time)

Uttar Pradesh (Wikipedia)