Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made it clear that the Government has no plans to set up a 2nd State Reorganization Commission. While some are for small states and some against but everyone in the political spectrum has a view. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi wants creation of a separate Bundelkhand state while BSP supreme Mayawati is for division of Uttar Pradesh in three parts. RLD leader Ajit Singh is for carving out parts of Western UP. Similar is the situation as regards separate Telangana. TRS, which was formed solely on the statehood issue, wants creation of the state right away and is against setting up a 2nd SRC for the purpose.

The Marxists feel that in West Bengal the move would be utilized by the ruling dispensation at the Centre to further divide their state. The BJP, which is trying to find its feet in Andhra Pradesh again, is for a separate Telangana while Chandrababu Naidu led TDP, is facing turmoil on what stand to be taken in the ticklish matter ahead of the polls. In Maharashtra, the BJP has formally backed the demand for a separate Vidarbha while its ally Shiv Sena is staunchly opposed to it, Sharad Pawar led NCP is not against formation of the separate state while Congress has always kept mum in the matter.

The issue of formation of a 2nd SRC has gone to the back-burner following fears among Congress leaders. The Lok Sabha elections are only a year away and the Congress wants to make inroads in states like Uttar Pradesh where it is in doldrums for the past two decades. The BJP’s case is no different. With regional parties BSP and SP becoming dominant in the key state sidelining national parties Congress and the BJP, the ruling party at the Centre wants to become relevant by playing the regional card. BJP appears to be an also ran in the state. The fact of the matter is that the Congress is in search of a winning formula by which it could cross the magic figure of 200 in the Lok Sabha. Party leaders agree in private that a simple majority for the party in the current era of coalition is tall talk. It needs to be remembered that Uttar Pradesh was the Congress bastion till 1989. That time and till now, the party had never spoken of the need for division of UP despite knowing full well the fact that it was too big a state to ensure smooth handling from Lucknow. The interesting thing is that the BJP, which always spoke in favor of smaller states, is yet to formulate its stand on division of Uttar Pradesh. Incidentally, the RSS has generally made a strong case for smaller states. The BJP led NDA rule had witnessed carving out of Uttarkhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand states from UP, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar respectively. The issue of smaller states has suddenly become a big thing in the game of power politics.