The political and administrative reorganization of states and territories has been a continuous ongoing process since the mid-nineteenth century. Discuss with examples.
Approach · directive: “discuss / with examples”
What it asks · Trace how internal boundaries have been redrawn in colonial and independent India, giving examples and the drivers behind each phase.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Discuss: political and administrative reorganisation as a continuous process since the mid-nineteenth century, with the driver of each phase
- Examples: illustrate each phase, colonial and post-independence, with named states, years and laws
Open with · Colonial provinces were drawn for revenue and control; redrawing began long before 1947 and each phase reflects its age's priorities.
Cover
- Colonial phase: Assam (1874), NWFP (1901), Bengal partitioned (1905) and reunited (1911), Bihar and Orissa (1912), Orissa and Sindh (1936), Burma (1937).
- Integration, 1947–50: princely states merged into Part A, B and C states; Junagadh by plebiscite, Hyderabad by police action (1948).
- Linguistic phase: Potti Sriramulu's fast and Andhra (1953); the States Reorganisation Commission (1953) and the 1956 Act: 14 states, six Union territories.
- Later splits: Maharashtra and Gujarat (1960), Nagaland (1963), Punjab and Haryana (1966), north-east (1972), Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa (1987).
- Development and security: Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand (2000), Telangana (2014), J&K into two Union territories (2019), DNH–DD merger (2020).
- Engine: Articles 3 and 4 let Parliament redraw states by ordinary law; Vidarbha-type demands show the process is unfinished.
Close with · With demands such as Vidarbha still alive, the map remains an open federal bargain; each claim should be tested for viability and consensus, not identity alone.
Add value (verified)
- Article 3 lets Parliament form new states or alter areas, boundaries and names by ordinary law, the basis of every reorganisation since 1950.The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024), Article 3 — Legislative Department ↗“Parliament may by law— (a) form a new State by separation of territory from any State or by uniting two or more States or parts of States or by uniting any territory to a part of any State”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2022, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 329words · Minimalist IAS
The provinces of British India were drawn for revenue, defence and control, not for the people within them. Redrawing therefore began long before 1947, and each phase has reflected the priorities of its age.
Colonial reorganisation for control
- Administrative convenience: Assam was separated from Bengal (1874) and the North-West Frontier Province created (1901) to ease governance and guard the frontier.
- Divide and rule: Bengal was partitioned in 1905; Swadeshi protest forced its annulment in 1911, and Bihar and Orissa became a separate province (1912).
- Early identity claims: Orissa and Sindh became provinces in 1936, and Burma was separated from India in 1937.
- 1905: Bengal partitioned
- 1911: partition annulled
- 1953: Andhra formed
- 1956: States Reorganisation Act
- 2014: Telangana formed
Integration of the princely states, 1947–50
- Merger and accession: princely states were folded into Part A, B and C states; Junagadh joined after a plebiscite and Hyderabad after police action (1948).
The linguistic principle, 1953–56
- Popular pressure: Potti Sriramulu's fast unto death forced the creation of Andhra in 1953.
- States Reorganisation Commission: set up in December 1953, its report led to the States Reorganisation Act 1956, creating 14 states and six Union territories.
A continuing process after 1956
- Language again: Bombay was split into Maharashtra and Gujarat (1960); Punjab and Haryana were separated (1966).
- Tribal and ethnic identity: Nagaland became a state in 1963; Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura in 1972; Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa in 1987.
- Development and size: Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand (2000) and Telangana (2014) answered regional neglect and unwieldy states.
- Security and integration: Jammu and Kashmir became two Union territories (2019), and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were merged (2020).
The constitutional engine
- Articles 3 and 4: Parliament can form, merge, enlarge or rename states by ordinary law, which keeps the federal map flexible without constitutional amendment.
With movements such as Vidarbha still seeking statehood, reorganisation remains an open federal bargain; each new claim should be tested for viability and consensus, not identity alone.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 16 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
