In 1947, during the Independence, India had 571 princely states which were disjointed. All these states were merged to form 27 States. At that time, the States were divided into groups based on political as well as historical consideration instead of cultural or linguistic separation. However, this division was not meant to be permanent. The States were required to be organised permanently based on their differences in language and culture. 

SK Dhar, a judge of the Allahabad Court was appointed by the Government in 1948 to lead a commission that would ensure that the Reorganisation of States is done based on language and culture. However, the commission desired the Reorganisation of States to be performed based on historical and geographical backgrounds rather than linguistic considerations. 

Historical Background Of Reorganisation Of States 

The Indian States came up as a result of historical situations. Along with independence, there has been an increasing requirement for more governmental reforms.  In 1951, India had 27 States grouped into four parts named Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D. 

• Under Part A, nine states were grouped namely, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Orissa, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. 

• Part B consists of nine states named Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Saurashtra, Mysore, Travancore-Cochin, Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh, Patiala, and the East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), and Rajasthan. 

• In Part C, there were ten states named Delhi, Kutch, Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur, Coorg, Bhopal, Manipur, Ajmer, Cooch-Behar, and Tripura. 

• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands were a part of Part D. 

In 1953, the death of Potti Sriramalu resulted in a burst out of Andhra in anger. In the same year, the Andhra state was created. Further, the appointment of a States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) took place. The States Reorganisation commision was appointed by the  Late Prime Minister,  Jawaharlal Nehru in December 1953. 

To fulfil this, the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 was enacted by the Parliament under Article 4 in the Indian constitution. 

Challenges Of Reorganisation Of States 

1. The major challenge of the Reorganisation of States was to unite a vast country like India, which was so diverse in its culture and traditions. 

1. Removal of poverty, as well as achievement of economic development, was to be obtained in the state of war. 

1. The development of all the sectors was to be given attention including disadvantaged groups, religious and cultural minorities. 

1. The settlement of democracy became a difficult job for the just-born nation. 

State Reorganisation Act 1956

The State Reorganisation Act 1956 brought reforms related to the boundaries of Indian States as well as Union Territories dividing them based on linguistic lines. 

Following is the list of Indian States and Union territories divided by the State Reorganisation Act 1956:

Indian States 

1.  Andhra Pradesh 
2. Assam
3. Bihar
4. Bombay State
5. Jammu and Kashmir 
6. Kerala 
7. Madhya Pradesh 
8. Madras State 
9. Mysore State
10. Orissa
11. Punjab 
12. Rajasthan 
13. Uttar Pradesh 
14. West Bengal 

Union Territories 

1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands
2. Delhi 
3. Manipur
4. Tripura 
5. Himachal Pradesh 
6. Laccadive, Minicoy & Amindivi Islands

Reorganisation Of States Was Done Based On language 

The Reorganisation of States was done by grouping States based on linguistic lines because:

1. Governance would be done with ease in those areas which shared common linguistic as well as geographical characteristics. 

1. Reorganisation of States by using language as a criterion would help to increase the number of people participating in administration because of a common language. 

1. Reorganisation of States based on linguistic features would prove beneficial in the development of vernacular languages which had long been averted by the British people. 

Why The Creation Of New States Did Take Place? 

The major reason behind the creation of new States was the cultural as well as social affiliations. For instance, the State of Nagaland situated in the North East was created keeping in mind the tribal affiliations. 

Another reason behind the development of new States was to boost economic growth. For example, it was observed that the State of Chhattisgarh could develop only with the help of separate statehood as the development requirements of the State were not reached by the State Government. 

It was noticed that overall development could never come to a bigger region due to unequal distribution of resources as well as the scarcity of adequate growth chances. 

Therefore, it became vital to develop new States. 

Conclusion 

In 1947, following the Independence phase, it was observed that it became a necessity to establish new Indian states to bring economic growth. 

Further, it was planned to do the Reorganisation of States based on linguistic features. This was done to boost economic development and bring an ease to perform activities in an area having similar culture. 

Therefore, the introduction of the States Reorganisation Act 1956 occurred. The State Reorganisation Act 1956 divided the entire country into four parts. Further, those four parts were converted into Indian States and Union territories. The very first Indian State which was developed on the criteria of similar linguistic features was Andhra.