Independence Day: Why is politically important Uttar Pradesh also one of our most backward states?

In India's political corridors, it is said that whoever wins the electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh, forms the government at Centre.

Uttar Pradesh is India's most politically dominant state and holds the largest chunk of seats - 80 - in Parliament.

Such is Uttar Pradesh's electoral might that Maharashtra with the second highest number of Lok Sabha constituencies ranks almost halfway behind with 48 MPs.

There is also factual truth behind this. If we look at the performance of Congress, it was not easy to dethrone the party from Centre until it was strong in Uttar Pradesh.

But when the Congress came down from the heart of the people of UP, the result was for everyone to see.

In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, out of the total 80 seats from Uttar Pradesh, the BJP won 71 and formed the government in Centre.

First PM, First woman PM, first woman CM, first woman governor and total 9 Prime Ministers

Uttar Pradesh has played a pivotal role in India's political landscape.

Out of the 15 prime ministers, nine have come from Uttar Pradesh, including first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru (current PM Narendra Modi hails from Gujarat but contested election from Varanasi).

India is one of the first democracies to elect a woman, Indira Gandhi, as Prime Minister in 1966. And three years before that, the state had elected India’s first woman chief minister, Sucheta Kriplani.

Sarojini Naidu was the first female to become the governor of an Indian state. She governed Uttar Pradesh from August 15, 1947, to March 2, 1949.

But despite its political might, many issues still plague Uttar Pradesh.

Be itcrime, corruption, lack of education or infrastructure, Uttar Pradesh is far behind other states infactit is part of BIMARU states, which continue to pull India backward.

According to Greenpeace India report 2018, Uttar Pradesh is India’s most polluted state. While PM Modi's constituency Varanasi is the sixth most polluted city in the country, 13 of the 30 most polluted cities are in Uttar Pradesh.

More than 75 per cent of Japanese encephalitis casesarereported in UP. And the state has India’s second-highest maternal mortality rate.

UP has also been one of the slowest when it comes to reducing poverty.

UP’s politics has beencentredon caste and religion which political parties have used to create vote banks and polarise the voters.

When it comes to development then, Uttar Pradesh is as weak as it is strong politically.

The political might of any state is appreciable but only if it's turning it into development otherwise it's just avotebankand nothing else.