Bombay State

Last updated

Bombay
Former State
1950–1960
State of Bombay
Bombay in India (1951).svg
Location of Bombay in India
Country India
Region West India
Formation1950
Bifurcation1960 (into Maharashtra and Gujarat states)
Consolidation1956 (merged Kutch State, Saurashtra State and Vidarbha)
Capital
and largest city
Bombay
Government
  Governor
 1950–1952
Raja Maharaj Singh (First)
 1956–1962
Sri Prakasa (Last)
  Chief minister
 1946–1952
Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher (First)
 1956–1960
Yashwantrao Chavan (Last)
Time zone UTC+05:30 (IST)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
British Raj Red Ensign.svg Bombay Presidency
British Raj Red Ensign.svg Deccan States Agency
British Raj Red Ensign.svg Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency
Flag of India.svg Saurashtra State
Flag of India.svg Kutch State
Maharashtra Flag of Maharashtra.svg
Gujarat Flag of Gujarat.svg
Mysore State Blank.png
Bombay Presidency in 1909, northern portion Bombay Prov north 1909.jpg
Bombay Presidency in 1909, northern portion
Bombay Presidency in 1909, southern portion Bombay Prov south 1909.jpg
Bombay Presidency in 1909, southern portion

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 Marathwada) 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).

Contents

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

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. [2]

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. [3] 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". [4]

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. [5] In the 1957 elections, the Samyukta Maharashtra movement opposed these proposals, and insisted that Bombay be declared the capital of Maharashtra. [6]

Dissolution of Bombay state

Bombay State was finally dissolved with the formation of Maharashtra and Gujarat states on 1 May 1960. [7]

Following protests of Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, in which 107 people were killed by police, Bombay State was reorganised on linguistic lines. [8] Gujarati-speaking areas of Bombay State were partitioned into the state of Gujarat following Mahagujarat Movement. [9] 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. [10]

Chief ministers

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

Governors

Upon the split of Bombay State in 1960, the designation of the "Governor of Bombay" was renamed to the Governor of Maharashtra. [11]

#NameAssumed officeLeft officeYears in Office
1 Raja Sir Maharaj Singh 6 January 194830 May 19524
2 Sir Girija Shankar Bajpai 30 May 19525 December 19542
3 Harekrushna Mahatab 2 March 195514 October 19561
4 Sri Prakasa 10 December 195616 April 19626

Sources: Governor of Maharashtra [11] and Greater Bombay District Gazetteer [12]

Graphical
Sri PrakasaHare Krishna MahtabGirija Shankar BajpaiRaja Maharaj SinghBombay State

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maharashtra</span> State in Western India

Maharashtra is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to the southeast and Chhattisgarh to the east, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to the north, and the Indian union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the northwest. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">States and union territories of India</span> Indian national administrative sub-divisions

India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 806 districts and smaller administrative divisions.

Desh is a region adjacent to the Western Ghats between the Godavari River and Krishna River, a part of Deccan Plateau, in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The region is hilly and slopes towards the east, and is drained by the upper reaches of the Godavari and Krishna rivers and their tributaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vidarbha</span> Eastern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra

Vidarbha is a geographical region in the west Indian state of Maharashtra. Forming the eastern part of the state, it comprises Amravati and Nagpur divisions. As per the 2011 Census, the region had a population of 23,003,179. The region occupies 31.6% of the total area and is home to 21.3% of the total population of Maharashtra. Situated in central India, it borders the state of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Telangana to the south and Marathwada and Uttar Maharashtra regions of Maharashtra to the west.

Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, commonly known as the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti, was an organisation in India that advocated for a separate Marathi-speaking state in Western India and Central India from 1956 to 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombay Presidency</span> Province in India (1668–1947)

The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainland territory was acquired in the Konkan region with the Treaty of Bassein. Poona was the summer capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western India</span> Group of Western Indian states

Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of western states of Republic of India. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, while the Ministry of Culture and some historians also include the state of Rajasthan. The Geological Survey of India includes Maharashtra but excludes Rajasthan whereas Ministry of Minority Affairs includes Karnataka but excludes Rajasthan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amravati division</span> Place in Maharashtra, India

Amravati Division, also known as Varhad, is an Indian one of the six administrative divisions of Maharashtra state in India. Amravati and Nagpur divisions constitute the ancient Vidarbha region. Amravati Division is bound by Madhya Pradesh state to the north, Nagpur Division to the east, Telangana state to the southeast, Marathwada region to the south and southwest, and Nashik Division to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maharashtra Day</span> Indian holiday

Maharashtra Day, commonly known as Maharashtra Din is a state holiday in the Indian state of Maharashtra, commemorating the formation of the state of Maharashtra in India from the division of the Bombay State on 1 May 1960. Maharashtra Day is commonly associated with parades and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history and traditions of Maharashtra. It is celebrated to commemorate the creation of a Marathi-speaking state of Maharashtra.

The States Reorganisation Commission of India (SRC) constituted by the Central Government of India in December 1953 to recommend the reorganization of state boundaries. In September 1955, after two years of study, the Commission, comprising Justice Fazal Ali, K. M. Panikkar and H. N. Kunzru, submitted its report. The commission's recommendations were accepted with some modifications and implemented in the States Reorganisation Act in November, 1956. The act provided that India's state boundaries should be reorganized to form 14 states and 6 centrally administered territories. On 10 December 1948, the report of Dar Commission was published but the issue remained unsolved.

Mumbai, previously known as Bombay, is the financial capital of India and one of the most populous cities in the world. Mumbai grew into a leading commercial center of India during the 19th century on the basis of textile mills and overseas trade. After independence, the desire to domesticate a Marathi social and linguistic Mumbai to a cosmopolitan framework was strongly expressed in the 1950s. Mumbai, one of the earliest cities in India to be industrialized, emerged as the centre of strong organized labour movement in India, which inspired labour movements across India.

Keshavrao Marutirao Jedhe (Deshmukh) (21 April 1896 – 12 November 1959) also known as Keshavrao Jedhe was an Indian independence activist and politician from Pune. He served as a leading figure in the Indian National Congress, and in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement during the independence. The famous Swargate chowk in Pune is named after him.

Jan 28, 1940: The Samyukta Mahasabha organization is formed in Bombay to pursue the resolution passed at the literary meet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saurashtra (state)</span> Former State of the India Union

Saurashtra State, formally known as United State of Kathiawar and later United State of Saurashtra, was a State of India that existed between 1948 and 1956, on Saurashtra alias Kathiawar peninsula, with Rajkot as its capital,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Maharashtra</span>

Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India. It is India's second-most populous state and third-largest state by area. The region that comprises the state has a long history dating back to approximately 1300–700 BCE, although the present-day state was not established until 1960 CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahagujarat movement</span> 1956 political movement demanding the creation of Gujarat state from Bombay state

Mahagujarat movement, was a political movement demanding the creation of the state of Gujarat for Gujarati-speaking people from the bilingual Bombay state of India in 1956. It succeeded in the formation of Gujarat on 1 May 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 Bombay State Legislative Assembly election</span>

Elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Indian state of Bombay were held on 26 March 1952. 1239 candidates contested for the 268 constituencies in the Assembly. There were 1 three-member, 47 two-member constituencies and 220 single-member constituencies.

References

  1. Ramachandra Guha, India after Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy. HarperCollins, 2007
  2. Bhattacharya, Sanjoy (2006), Expunging Variola: The Control and Eradication of Smallpox in India, 1947–1977, Orient Blackswan, p.  18, ISBN   978-81-250-3018-8 , retrieved 8 January 2021
  3. "States Reorganization Act 1956". Commonwealth Legal Information Institute. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  4. Grover, Verinder; Ranjana Arora (1994). Federation of India and States' Reorganisation: Reconstruction and Consolidation. Deep and Deep Publications. p. 392. ISBN   978-81-7100-541-3 . Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  5. "The battle for Bombay". The Hindu . 13 April 2003. Archived from the original on 14 May 2005. Retrieved 12 November 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. "Samyukta Maharashtra". Government of Maharashtra. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  7. Sadasivan, S. N. (2005). Political and administrative integration of princely states. Mittal. ISBN   9788170999683.
  8. "Sons of soil: born, reborn". Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd. 6 February 2008. Retrieved on 12 November 2008.
  9. "Gujarat". Government of India . Retrieved 16 January 2008.
  10. "Maharashtra". Government of India . Retrieved 16 January 2008.
  11. 1 2 "Previous Governors List". Governor of Maharashtra. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
  12. "List of the Governors of Bombay", Greater Bombay District Gazetteer, Maharashtra State Gazetteers, vol. I, Government of Maharashtra, 1986, archived from the original on 6 September 2008, retrieved 13 August 2008

18°58′30″N72°49′33″E / 18.97500°N 72.82583°E / 18.97500; 72.82583