Talk:United Progressive Alliance

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MVA

@Kalpesh Manna 2002 What are you saying in this edit summary? [1] I suggest you read the article Maha Vikas Aghadi before responding here. Venkat TL (talk) 11:12, 24 January 2022 (UTC)

What was UPA and does it still exist?

I have a long-standing feeling that the Wikiverse idea of UPA diverges heavily from whatever existed in the real world, that many Wiki editors instinctly wish that Indian politics can be categorized into simple boxes (that all politics in recemt years could be reduced to 'NDA vs UPA' for example). I think this article is a WP:OR minefield and that a few critical questions need to be asked:

• Can we distinguish UPA as a political alliance from the UPA governments? - isn't UPA-I exactly the same topic as First Manmohan Singh ministry and UPA-II exactly the same topic as Second Manmohan Singh ministry? UPA emerged as a post-election governing coalition, not a pre-poll alliance.
• When googling 'UPA candidate', one finds Wikipedia and its mirrors, plus references to presidential and vice presidential candidates (as late as up to 2022). I found 1 (!) reference in English for a 'UPA candidate' in a Lok Sabha poll (https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/politics/2346780-upa-candidate-bajrang-mahto-files-nomination-for-ramgarh-by-poll), and one reference for a 'UPA candidate' for Rajya Sabha deputy speaker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vjz60gdjRQ). I think we can safely say that there are no UPA candidacies in Lok Sabha elections, and much less Legislative Assembly elections.
• Apart from that UPA name pops up in Pres/VP elections a decade after the end of UPA-II, the sole other tangible present-day existence of UPA is the title 'UPA chairperson' for Sonia Gandhi. This terminology appears well up to 2023. But it also brings the question, what exactly is Gandhi a chair of? Is there any UPA board? Deputy chair? Any UPA secretary? Seemingly the meeting that 'elected' Gandhi as UPA chair was last held in 2009 (https://www.indiatoday.in/election-news/photo/upa-elects-sonia-as-chairperson-again-361949-2009-05-20/1)
• We also have mentions of a possible naming of a 'UPA convenor', https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/apr/13/road-to-2024-amid-upa-convenor-buzz-nitish-meets-congress-brass-aap-2565397.html , https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/can-nitish-kumar-unite-the-opposition-yes-but-not-so-easily-1209578.html
• Here we find a mention of UPA in Jharkhand state politics: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jharkhand-trust-vote-upa-mlas-return-to-ranchi-for-trust-vote/article65849711.ece
• Per Mamta Banerjee, UPA has gone defunct: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/mamata-says-no-upa-what-oppn-challenge-bjp-could-look-like-congress-role-7651142/
• As of 2013, there was a 'UPA Coordination Committee' - https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/upa-coordination-panel-likely-to-meet-next-week-on-telangana-25620.html ... but very little in this regard subsequently.
• Has anyone seen the supposed UPA logo IRL? It's created by HapHaxion for Commons, but I struggle to find any examples where the logo would have been used in non-wiki contexts?

All in all, whilst UPA continues as a conceptual alliance, I think we don't have any well-referenced membership list of the coalition (I'd say membership is fluid), and that the alliance doesn't apply beyond national politics. The sole mention of UPA government in Jharkhand appears as an exception, not the rule. There seems to be no state-level structures of UPA, and no real seat-sharing even in Lok Sabha elections coordinated through UPA. I think this article needs strong weeding of WP:OR elements (such as the listing of UPA state governments, or precise listing of numbers of parliamentarians). I seriously question statements such as 'The UPA currently rules six states of India' or that UPA would hold 1,119 seats in state legislatures. -- Soman (talk) 18:28, 30 April 2023 (UTC)