Congress strategists feel it would be politically wise to push the idea of reorganizing states. In any case, by not doing it, the party stands to lose. Congress is caught in a fix on Telengana and Vidarbha because the Congress state units are divided on the issue. After the party’s victory in local body elections in Andhra Pradesh, Congress thought the Telengana issue would lose steam but it did not and could be a key issue in the next elections.

In Vidarbha, the party had to do some last-minute firefighting before the last Lok Sabha elections to hold together leaders from the region who demanded an assurance from Sonia Gandhi on statehood. But the most significant incentive for smaller states comes in Uttar Pradesh. The Assembly results were a rude shock to the party and a section in the party feels that smaller states carved out of it could make the party “politically viable.” The cases for Harit Pradesh comprising 22 districts in Western UP, Purvanchal with 17 districts in South Eastern UP have been strong. The UP government in 2000 announced a Purvanchal Economic Zone.

RLD leader Ajit Singh, who has been demanding Harit Pradesh, is a potential Congress ally in the next polls. Within the ruling coalition, the idea will have takers in NCP, RJD and DMK. The Left is not very enthusiastic, the BJP is an avowed supporter of smaller states.