Bombay State Explained

Bombay
Official Name:State of Bombay
Former:yes
Type:Former State
Seal Size:200
Region:West India
Capital:Bombay
Largestcity:capital
Govfirst Year:1950–1952
Gov First:Raja Maharaj Singh (First)
Govlast Year:1956–1962
Gov Last:Sri Prakasa (Last)
Cmfirst Year:1946–1952
Cm First:Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher (First)
Cmlast Year:1956–1960
Cm Last:Yashwantrao Chavan (Last)
Year Start:1950
Formation Date4:1950
Consolidation:1956 (merged Kutch State, Saurashtra State and Vidarbha)
Formation Date3:1960 (into Maharashtra and Gujarat states)
Year End:1960
P1:Bombay Presidency
P2:Deccan States Agency
P3:Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency
P4:Saurashtra State
P5:Kutch State
S1:Maharashtra
S2:Gujarat
S3:Mysore State
Flag P1:British Raj Red Ensign.svg
Flag P2:British Raj Red Ensign.svg
Flag P3:British Raj Red Ensign.svg
Flag P4:Flag of India.svg
Flag P5:Flag of India.svg
Flag S1:Flag of Maharashtra.svg
Flag S2:Flag of Gujarat.svg

Bombay State was a large Indian state created in 1950 from the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years. Bombay Presidency (roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Maharashtra, excluding South Maharashtra and Vidarbha) was merged with the princely states of Baroda, Western India and Gujarat (the present-day Indian state of Gujarat) and the Deccan States (which included parts of the present-day Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka).

On 1 November 1956, Bombay State was re-organized under the States Reorganisation Act on linguistic lines, absorbing various territories including the Saurashtra and Kutch States, which ceased to exist. On 1 May 1960, Bombay State was dissolved and split on linguistic lines into the two states of Gujarat, with Gujarati speaking population and Maharashtra, with Marathi speaking population.[1]

History

See main article: History of Bombay in independent India. During the British Raj, portions of the western coast of India under direct British rule were part of the Bombay Presidency. After Indian independence in 1947 and when India was partitioned, Bombay Presidency remained part of India, while Sind province became part of Pakistan. The territory retained by India was restructured into Bombay State when India became a republic in 1950. It included princely states such as Kolhapur in Deccan, and Baroda and the Dangs in Gujarat, which had former parts of Deccan States Agency and Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency.

Expansion of the state

As a result of the States Reorganisation Act on 1 November 1956, the Kannada-speaking districts of Belgaum (except Chandgad taluka), Bijapur, Dharwar, and North Canara were transferred from Bombay State to Mysore State.[2] but the State of Bombay was significantly enlarged, expanding eastward to incorporate the Marathi-speaking Marathwada region of Hyderabad State, the Marathi-speaking Vidarbha region of southern Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarati-speaking Saurashtra and Kutch states. The Bombay state was being referred to by the local inhabitants as "Maha Dwibhashi Rajya", meaning, "the great bilingual state".[3]

In 1956, the States Reorganisation Committee, against the will of Jawaharlal Nehru, recommended a bilingual state for Maharashtra-Gujarat with Bombay as its capital, whereas in Lok Sabha discussions in 1955, the Congress party demanded that the city be constituted as an autonomous city-state.[4] In the 1957 elections, the Samyukta Maharashtra movement opposed these proposals, and insisted that Bombay be declared the capital of Maharashtra.[5]

Dissolution of Bombay state

Bombay State was finally dissolved with the formation of Maharashtra and Gujarat states on 1 May 1960.[6]

Following protests of Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, in which 107 people were killed by police, Bombay State was reorganised on linguistic lines.[7] Gujarati-speaking areas of Bombay State were partitioned into the state of Gujarat following Mahagujarat Movement.[8] Maharashtra State with Bombay as its capital was formed with the merger of Marathi-speaking areas of Bombay State, eight districts from Central Provinces and Berar, five districts from Hyderabad State, and numerous princely states enclosed between them.[9]

Chief ministers

Bombay State had three chief ministers after the independence of India:

Governors

See also: List of Governors of Bombay. Upon the split of Bombay State in 1960, the designation of the "Governor of Bombay" was renamed to the Governor of Maharashtra.

NameAssumed officeLeft officeYears in Office
1Raja Sir Maharaj Singh6 January 194830 May 19524
2Sir Girija Shankar Bajpai30 May 19525 December 19542
3Harekrushna Mahatab2 March 195514 October 19561
4Sri Prakasa10 December 195616 April 19626
Sources: Governor of Maharashtra[10] and Greater Bombay District Gazetteer
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from:1948 till:1952 color:PA text:"Raja Sir Maharaj Singh (1948–1952)" from:1952 till:1954 color:PA text:"Sir Girija Shankar Bajpai (1952–1954)" from:1955 till:1956 color:PA text:"Hare Krishna Mahtab (1955–1956)" from:1956 till:1960 color:PA text:"Sri Prakasa (1956–1960)"

See also

Notes and References

  1. [Ramachandra Guha]
  2. Web site: States Reorganization Act 1956 . 1 July 2008 . Commonwealth Legal Information Institute . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080516123014/http://www.commonlii.org/in/legis/num_act/sra1956250/ . 16 May 2008 .
  3. Book: Grover, Verinder. Ranjana Arora. Federation of India and States' Reorganisation: Reconstruction and Consolidation. Deep and Deep Publications. 978-81-7100-541-3 . 24 November 2012. 392. 1994.
  4. News: The battle for Bombay . 13 April 2003 . 12 November 2008 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20050514003803/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/2003/04/13/stories/2003041300240300.htm . 14 May 2005 . usurped . dmy-all.
  5. Web site: Samyukta Maharashtra . 12 November 2008 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081006221033/http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/community/community_samyuktaShow.php . 6 October 2008 .
  6. Book: Sadasivan, S. N. . Political and administrative integration of princely states . 2005. Mittal. 9788170999683.
  7. News: Sons of soil: born, reborn. 6 February 2008. Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd.. Retrieved on 12 November 2008.
  8. Web site: Gujarat. 16 January 2008. Government of India.
  9. Web site: Maharashtra. 16 January 2008. Government of India.
  10. Web site: Previous Governors List . 23 December 2008 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090206050259/http://rajbhavan.maharashtra.gov.in/previous/default.htm . 6 February 2009 .