Vindhya Pradesh

Vindhya Pradesh was a former state of India. It was created in 1948 as Union of Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand States from the territories of the princely states in the eastern portion of the former Central India Agency. It was named as Vindhya Pradesh on 25 January 1950 after the Vindhya Range, which runs through the centre of the province. The capital of the state was the former princely state of Rewa. It lay between Uttar Pradesh to the north and Madhya Pradesh to the south, and the enclave of Datia, which lay a short distance to the west, was surrounded by the state of Madhya Bharat.

Union of Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand States (1948–1950) Vindhya Pradesh (1950–1956)
State of India
1948–1956
Coat of arms
1951 map of India. Vindhya Pradesh is shown in the centre.
Capital	Rewa
Area
•	61,131.5 km2 (23,603.0 sq mi)
Population
•	3,600,000
History
• Creation of Vindhya Pradesh State	1948
• States Reorganisation Act	1956
Preceded by Succeeded by Central India Agency Madhya Pradesh
Pranab Kumar Bhattacharyya (1977). Historical Geography of Madhya Pradesh from Early Records. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 54–5.

Vindhya Pradesh was merged into Madhya Pradesh in 1956, following the States Reorganisation Act.^[1]

It occupied an area of 61,131.5 km2 (23,603 sq. miles).^[2]

History

Vindhya Pradesh state was formed on 12 March 1948 and inaugurated on 4 April 1948. 36 princely states were merged to form Vindhya Pradesh state:

1. Rewa
2. Panna
3. Datia
4. Orchha
5. Ajaigarh
6. Shahdol
7. Baraundha
8. Bijawar
9. Chhatarpur
10. Charkhari
11. Maihar
12. Nagod
13. Samthar
14. Alipura
15. Rampur Naikin
16. Beri
17. Sidhi
18. Bihat
19. Bijna
20. Dhurwai
21. Garrauli
22. Gaurihar
23. Singrauli
24. Jigni
25. Khaniadhana
26. Kamta Rajaula (Chaube Jagir)
27. Kothi
28. Kirur (Kubje Jagir)
29. Lugasi
30. Naigawan Rebai
31. Pahra (Chaube Jagir)
32. (Bevhari)
33. Sarila
34. Sihawal
35. Satna Jagir)

On 25 January 1950, 11 erstwhile princely states, namely, Bihat, Banka Paharee, Baoni, Beri, Bijna, Charkhari, Jigni, Samthar, Sarila, Tori-Fatehpur and parts of Kirur Kubje were transferred to Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Bharat. Vindhya Pradesh, together with the states of Madhya Bharat and Bhopal State, was merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1 November 1956.

Divisions

A map of Vindhya Pradesh

After formation, the state was divided into two divisions, which were further divided into 8 districts.

Bundelkhand Division with its headquarters at Nowgaon comprised the following 4 districts:

1. Panna district
2. Chhatarpur district
3. Tikamgarh district
4. Datia district

Baghelkhand Division with its headquarters at Singrauli and then Rewa comprised the following 4 districts:^[2]

1. Rewa district
2. Satna district
3. Sidhi district
4. Shahdol district

Politics

Part B state (1948-1949)

In 1948, the eastern regions of Central India Agency, became the Union of Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand States, and was admitted into the Dominion of India as a Part B state, headed by a Rajpramukh, deputised by a Uparajpramukh, under the advice of a Prime Minister. Martand Singh, the ruler of the princely state of Rewa became the Rajpramukh and Yadvendra Singh, the ruler of the princely state of Panna became the Uparajpramukh.Awadhesh Pratap Singh became the first Chief Minister of the Baghelkhand Division and Kamta Prasad Saxena was appointed as the Chief Minister of the Bundelkhand Division. Later Awadhesh Pratap Singh became the Chief Minister of the Vindhya Pradesh state.

Rajpramukhs of Union of Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand States (UBBS)

#	Name	Tenure
1	Martand Singh	4 April 1948	31 December 1949	1 year, 271 days

Uparajpramukhs of Union of Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand States (UBBS)

#	Name	Tenure
1	Yadvendra Singh	4 April 1948	31 December 1949	1 year, 271 days

Chief Ministers of Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand States

Awadhesh Pratap Singh became the first Chief Minister of the Baghelkhand Division and Kamta Prasad Saxena was appointed as the Chief Minister of the Bundelkhand Division.

#	Name	State			Appointed by	Party
1	Awadhesh Pratap Singh	Baghelkhand State		Martand Singh (Rajpramukh)	Indian National Congress
1	Kamta Prasad Saxena	Bundelkhand State		Martand Singh (Rajpramukh)	Indian National Congress

Prime Ministers of Union of Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand States (UBBS)

#	Name	Tenure			Appointed by	Party
1	Awadhesh Pratap Singh	28 May 1948	14 April 1949	322 days	Martand Singh (Rajpramukh)	Indian National Congress
2	Neil Bruniat Bonerji	15 April 1949	30 April 1949	15 days	Martand Singh (Rajpramukh)	Independent
3	Shreenath Mehta	1 May 1949	31 December 1949	244 days	Martand Singh (Rajpramukh)	Independent

Part C state (1950-1952)

It was renamed Vindhya Pradesh and converted to a Part C state, headed by a Chief Commissioner, on 1 January 1950.

Chief Commissioners of Vindhya Pradesh

#	Name	Tenure			Appointed by
1	Shreenath Mehta	1 January 1950	20 January 1950	19 days	Rajendra Prasad (President of India)
2	V. K. Balakrishna Pillai	21 January 1950	30 March 1952	2 years, 69 days	Rajendra Prasad (President of India)

Part A state (1952-1956)

In 1952, it became a Part A state, and the post of Chief Commissioner was replaced by the Lieutenant Governor. A legislative assembly comprising 60 members elected from 48 constituencies (36 single-member and 12 double-member)^[3] was created and the state was allotted 4 Lok Sabha constituencies (2 single-member and 2 double-member).^[4]

In the first general election in 1951, the Indian National Congress won 40 seats and the Socialist Party won 11 seats.^[3] S.N.Shukla of Indian National Congress became the Chief Minister of the state on 13 March 1952, Shivanand became the Speaker and Ram Kishore Shukla of Socialist Party the leader of the opposition of the house.

The state was dissolved on 31 October 1956 and merged with Madhya Pradesh.

Lieutenant Governors of Vindhya Pradesh

#	Name	Tenure			Appointed by
1	Kasturirangan Santhanam	31 March 1952	1 January 1956	3 years, 276 days	Rajendra Prasad (President of India)
2	Mosalikanti Thirumala Rao	2 January 1956	31 October 1956	303 days	Rajendra Prasad (President of India)

Chief Ministers of Vindhya Pradesh

#	Name	Tenure			Assembly	Appointed by	Party
1	Sambhu Nath Shukla	31 March 1952	31 October 1956	4 years, 214 days	1st (1952 elections)	Kasturirangan Santhanam	Indian National Congress

Post merger with Madhya Pradesh

Sriniwas Tiwari was a prominent politician in the region who campaigned for the re-establishment of Vindhya Pradesh over the years post its dissolution and merger with Madhya Pradesh. Other advocates of the cause include Narayan Tripathi, 4-time MLA from Maihar, and social worker Kuldeep Agnihotri, associated with the Agni Shakti Education Foundation in Rewa.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• List of proposed states and territories of India