Indian States Reorganization

Indian States Reorganization

While British left India after partition in 1947, British dissolved their treaty relations with more than 500 princely states. They were encouraged to accede to either India or Pakistan, while under no compulsion to do so. Most of these princely states acceded to India, a few of them acceded to Pakistan and Bhutan and Hyderabad (that India later conquered with military intervention) opted for independence. Most of these states were merged into existing provinces while others were organized into new provinces. Bombay presidency split eventually into Maharashtra, Gujarat in 1960, Punjab split into Haryana into 1966.
Tensions were witnessed in the case of Madras state with the demand of separate Andhra state. Andhra was indeed carved out and enlarged with the inclusion of Telangana part of Hyderabad, which disintegrated into states of Mysore (which later became Karnataka) & Bombay under States Reorganisation Act of 1956.  States such as Kerala also came into existence by this act. Madras state was later renamed to Tamil Nadu. Following partition of Punjab, in the quest of a new capital (Lahore was the capital before) Nehru undertook the construction of a new planned city, which was named Chandigarh. Telangana later protested against its merger into Andhra in 1967 unsuccessfully
Assam would be further disintegrated. After an uprising by Naga tribes consisting of civil disobedience and violence, Nagaland was formed in 1962 while Meghalya ceded peacefully in 1972, Arunachal in 1975. Mizo uprising began in 1966 thwarting, which remains the only instance when Government of India used airstrikes on its own civilians. Mizo National Front kept pushing for statehood and achieved Mizoram via diplomatic negotiations in 1987. Manipur & Tripura were Union Territories in 1956, but given state status in 1972. Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttaranchal ertr the final states to be created that were carved out of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh respectively in 2000.