The State Reorganization Commission, established in 1953, submitted its report in 1955, proposing the reorganization of states into 16 states and 3 union territories. Subsequently, in November 1956, the Government enacted the State Reorganization Act, which led to the division of the country into 14 states and 6 union territories. At the time of the Constitution’s ratification, there were four categories of states: Parts A, B, C, and D. Parts A and B had locally elected Assemblies to assist and advise them, while the remaining two categories were governed by Chief Commissioners and Lieutenant Governors appointed by the central government.

With the exception of Kashmir, Junagarh, and Hyderabad, most princely states had joined the Union of India by August 15, 1947, particularly in the areas of defense, foreign affairs, and communication. By 1950, these princely states had been integrated politically into the Indian Union and were fully subject to federal governance through democratic processes.

Classification of States into 4 Types

There are four main types of states: Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D. Let’s study each type in detail.

Part-A States

• There were a total of nine Part-A states. These were British India’s previous governor’s provinces. These states were to be ruled by a Governor who the people and a state legislature chose.
• They were formed by combining minor states into provinces that were continuous. Gujarat and the Deccan, for example, were absorbed into Bombay. In contrast, parts of the Eastern and Chhattisgarh states were absorbed into Orissa, and the kingdoms of Kathiawar were united into a new state called Saurashtra.
• Bombay, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh (former United Province), Madhya Pradesh (former Central Province), Punjab, Orissa, Madras, Assam, and Bihar were among the nine Part-A states.

Part-B states

• There were eight Part-B states in all. The important princely nations that joined India were included in Part B States.
• Raj Pramukhs were the executive chiefs of Part B states. They would be governed in the same way as Part A states, with legislatures and Ministerial Councils.
• The Rajpramukh, mostly erstwhile princes, were appointed by India’s President.
• Mysore, Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Travancore-Cochin, Saurashtra, Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), and Madhya Bharat were among the eight Part-B states.

Part-C states

• There were ten Part-C states in all. The smaller princely states that became part of India were combined and became the Part C States, along with several of the former Chief Commissioner’s Provinces.
• A Part C state’s executive leader would be either a Chief Commissioner or a Lieutenant-Governor.
• Parliament might establish legislatures and Councils of Advisers/Ministers in such governments. Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Kutch, Ajmer, Bilaspur, Vindhya Pradesh, Bhopal, Tripura, Manipur, and Coorg were among the 10 Part-C states.

Part-D states

• The extremely impoverished Andaman and Nicobar Islands were designated as Part D states.
• The President of India will appoint a Chief Commissioner to oversee the Part D state of Andaman and Nicobar.

The States Reorganization Act of 1956

Historical events and circumstances led to the founding of the Indian states. Following India’s declaration of independence, there was a rising demand for a more logical reorganisation of the States regarding independent India’s financial, economic, and administrative management and because of the developing significance of regional languages.

For the first time, the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was founded in 1953 to look into the matter and provide guidelines and broad proposals for reorganising the States. The Commission issued its report in September 1955. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the prime minister, established the Commission. M. Panikkar and H. N. Kunzru were the two members of the SRC, which S. Fazal Ali directed.

Parliament adopted the States Reorganisation Act 1956 under Article 3 of the Indian Constitution to give effect to the reorganisation scheme that arose from examining the ideas included in the Report. The Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act 1956 put the reorganisation programme into action.

It has included Article 350A, intended to carry out one of the key recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission addressing safeguarding for language minorities in the States following reorganisation. Andhra Pradesh, Bombay, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Mysore, Punjab, and Rajasthan are the new states founded due to the 1956 reorganisation of states.