Transition in Uttar Pradesh Jens Lerche It is fallacious to conceptualise the differences in agricultural scenario of east and west Uttar Pradesh in terms of ' semi-feudal stagnation' and 'capitalist agrarian development', respectively, equating the former with the prevalence of strong oppressive structures. Rather, the post-independence land reforms have resulted in a split in the landowning class between the erstwhile thakur landlords and upcoming OBC peasantry, in east UP, thus providing space for the dalits to assert themselves in alliance with the OBCs, On the other hand, the capitalist development in west UP has maintained the monopoly of numerically stronger jats on landownership, thus negating any changes in rural social relations.