Uttar Pradesh Influence on Indian Prime Ministers | Political Role of UP

The path to the prime ministerial chair is deeply intertwined with the state of Uttar Pradesh. Starting with Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India who was a Member of Parliament (MP) from Allahabad Dist (East)-cum-Jaunpur Dist (West) (now Phulpur), the legacy continued with subsequent leaders. Lal Bahadur Shastri, an MP from Allahabad (now Prayagraj), and Indira Gandhi, the Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli, who previously served as a Rajya Sabha MP from UP, all contributed to this historical trend.

There is a saying, “kendra ki sarkar ka raasta UP se hokar guzarata hai” — meaning the road to the central government passes through UP. With the exception of Gulzarilal Nanda, Morarji Desai, Narasimha Rao, H D Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujral, and Dr Manmohan Singh, the other nine Prime Ministers of India have either hailed from UP or were elected from UP. This remarkable pattern underscores the significant influence of Uttar Pradesh in shaping the political landscape of the country.

Narendra Modi was appointed as the chairman of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) election campaign committee on June 9, 2013, for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections during his time as the chief minister of Gujarat. On September 13, 2013, he was announced as the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP. He contested and won from two seats, Varanasi in UP and Vadodara in Gujarat, choosing to retain the former. The BJP’s success in UP, securing 71 seats out of 80, propelled Modi to the position of the prime minister.

UP’s Importance in every victory

The political importance of UP becomes clear when we look at the performance of various parties in Lok Sabha elections, and the role of those parties in national politics.

The Congress has formed single-party majority governments at the Centre seven times, and this can be attributed to the substantial number of seats it won in UP. When the Janata Party came to power in 1977, it bagged all 85 seats in the state at the time.

In the Congress’s three coalition regimes, the party won only five out of 85 seats in 1991, nine out of 80 in 2004, and 21 out of 80 in 2009. The coalition government of the United Front (UF) at the Centre in 1996 had the Samajwadi Party (SP) as its crucial ally, but it managed to win only 16 of the 85 seats in the state.

In the BJP’s coalition governments at the Centre, the party had won 57 of 85 seats in UP in 1998, and though the tally was reduced in 1999, it still won 29 out of 85 seats. The BJP’s majority governments at the Centre in 2014 and 2019 had 71 and 62 seats (excluding ally Apna Dal (S)) respectively of the 80 from the state.

In 1977, when the Janata Party came to power, it secured all 85 seats in the state. However, during the Congress’s three coalition regimes, the party managed to win only five out of 85 seats in 1991, nine out of 80 in 2004, and 21 out of 80 in 2009. The United Front (UF) coalition government at the Centre in 1996, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) as a crucial ally, only won 16 of the 85 seats in the state.

During the BJP’s coalition governments at the Centre, the party secured 57 of the 85 seats in UP in 1998. Even though the tally reduced in 1999, it still managed to win 29 out of 85 seats. In the BJP’s majority governments at the Centre in 2014 and 2019, it secured 71 and 62 seats (excluding ally Apna Dal (S)) respectively out of the 80 from the state.

Political importance of UP

What adds to the importance of UP is that the state has 80 Lok Sabha seats (14.7 per cent of the total seats), 31 seats (12.4 per cent of total seats) in Rajya Sabha, 403 Assembly seats (9.77 per cent of the total seats of all state Assemblies) and 100 seats  in the Legislative Council.. The significance of Uttar Pradesh is further amplified by the fact that the state commands a substantial political presence. With 80 Lok Sabha seats, Uttar Pradesh holds 14.7 percent of the total seats in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, making it a key player in national politics. In addition, the state has 31 seats in the Rajya Sabha, comprising 12.4 percent of the total seats in the upper house.

On the state level, Uttar Pradesh’s influence is equally noteworthy, with 403 Assembly seats, constituting 9.77 percent of the total seats across all state assemblies. Furthermore, the state boasts 100 seats in the Legislative Council. Notably, Uttar Pradesh is among the select few states, alongside Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Bihar, that maintain an Upper House in its state legislature.

This multifaceted political significance has elevated Uttar Pradesh to a position of unparalleled importance, solidifying its status as a pivotal player in the Indian political landscape.n the Legislative Council.
It is one of only six states (the others being Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Bihar) that have an Upper House of the state legislature. As a result, UP has acquired political importance that is arguably incomparable to any other state in India.