Himachal Pradesh State Formation: History, Date & Process

Himachal Pradesh was formed on 15 April 1948 by merging 30 princely states; it became a full-fledged state of India on 25 January 1971.

Himachal Pradesh came into existence on 15th April 1948 as a Centrally Administered Chief Commissioner’s Province.
It was formed by merging 30 princely states, including:
- 26 Shimla Hill States
- 4 Punjab Hill States: Chamba, Mandi, Suket, and Sirmaur.
The total area at that time was 11,053 square miles (27,169 sq. km).
These princely states were organized into 4 districts:
1. Chamba
2. Mandi
3. Mahasu
4. Sirmaur
The administrative headquarters was located in the British India Foreign Office Building at Shimla, which was destroyed by fire on 5th May 1957.
The first administrative setup:
- Chief Commissioner: N.C. Mehta
- Deputy Commissioner: E. Penderel Moon (later became the second Chief Commissioner)
- Last Chief Commissioner: Bhagwan Sahai
The Secretariat during that period was called “Himachal Dham”.

In 1951, Himachal Pradesh became a Part C State, governed by a Lieutenant Governor and a 36-member Legislative Assembly, along with a 3-member Cabinet.
Notable events:
- 1st March 1952: Major General Himat Singh appointed the first Lieutenant Governor.
- March 1952: K.L. Mehta, ICS, became the first Chief Secretary.
- 24th March 1952: Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar became the first Chief Minister.
- In the first elections:
  - Congress secured 24 seats (majority).
  - Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party: 3 seats
  - Scheduled Castes Federation: 1 seat
  - Independents formed the opposition.
In July 1954, the Part C state of Bilaspur was merged with Himachal Pradesh, making it the 5th district.
The area increased to 28,237 sq. km, and Legislative Assembly seats rose from 36 to 41.

Based on recommendations from the States Reorganization Commission (Fazal Ali Commission) in 1953, Himachal Pradesh became a Union Territory on 1st November 1956.
- Chairman Fazal Ali was against merging Himachal with Punjab.
The administration was now headed by a Lieutenant Governor:
- First Lieutenant Governor: Bajrang Bahadur Singh.
Consequences:
- The Legislative Assembly was abolished.
- A 41-member Territorial Council was established in December 1956.
- Thakur Karam Singh of Mandi became the first Chairman of the Territorial Council.
On 1st May 1960, Kinnaur district was carved out from Chinni Tehsil of Mahasu, becoming the 6th district of Himachal Pradesh.
These 6 districts — Bilaspur, Chamba, Mandi, Mahasu, Sirmaur, and Kinnaur — are collectively called “Old Himachal”.
In 1963, under the Union Territories Act, the Territorial Council was converted back into a Legislative Assembly with:
- Total seats: 43 (41 elected + 2 nominated).

On 1st November 1966, with the reorganization of Punjab:
- Four new districts merged with Himachal Pradesh:
  1. Kullu
  2. Kangra
  3. Lahaul-Spiti
  4. Shimla
Additional areas from Nalagarh, Hoshiarpur, and Dalhousie were also merged.
The area increased to 55,673 sq. km, the present area of Himachal Pradesh.
Legislative Assembly strength increased to:
- 63 members (60 elected + 3 nominated).
1967 Elections:
- Congress secured 37 seats.
- Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar became Chief Minister for the third time.

On 18th December 1970, the Indian Parliament passed the bill granting statehood to Himachal Pradesh.
On 25th January 1971, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi officially declared Himachal Pradesh as the 18th state of the Indian Union at Girija Maidan (now known as The Ridge) in Shimla.
District Reorganization (1972):
- Hamirpur and Una were carved out from Kangra district.
- Shimla and Mahasu were reorganized to form Shimla and Solan districts.
Thus, Himachal Pradesh came to have 12 districts, classified as:
- Old Himachal: Bilaspur, Chamba, Mandi, Mahasu (now Shimla & Solan), Sirmaur, Kinnaur
- New Himachal: Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan, Una