{{Short description|Former State of India}} {{About|a group of former states of India|other uses of the name|Punjab (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}} {{Infobox former subdivision | _noautocat = <!-- "no" for no automatic categorization --> | native_name = <!-- Name in native language(s). Leave blank if name is only in English. Separate with line breaks<br /> If language uses Latin characters, place name(s) in italics. --> | conventional_long_name = Patiala and East Punjab States Union | common_name = PEPSU | subdivision = State <!-- Status: see Category list on template page --> | nation = India | status_text = <!-- A free text to describe status the top of the infobox. Use sparingly. --> | government_type = Democracy<!-- To generate categories: "Monarchy", "Republic", etc. to generate categories --> <!-- Titles and names of the first and last leaders and their deputies -->| title_leader = Governor | title_deputy = Chief Minister | leader1 = <!-- Name of leader (up to six) --> | year_leader1 = <!-- Years served --> | deputy1 = <!-- Name of prime minister (up to six) --> | year_deputy1 = <!-- Years served --> <!-- Legislature -->| legislature = Patiala and East Punjab States Union Legislative Assembly | house1 = <!-- Name of first chamber --> | house2 = <!-- Name of second chamber --> | type_house1 = Unicameral | type_house2 = <!-- Default: "Lower house" --> <!-- General information -->| capital = Patiala | national_motto = <!-- Accepts wikilinks --> | national_anthem = <!-- Accepts wikilinks --> | political_subdiv = <!-- Accepts wikilinks --> | today = {{flag|India}} | year_start = 1948 | year_end = 1956 | event_start = State Established | date_start = 15 July | event_end = State Disestablished | date_end = 1 November | event1 = <!-- Optional: other events between "start" and "end" --> | date_event1 = | event2 = | date_event2 = | event3 = | date_event3 = | event4 = | date_event4 = | event5 = | date_event5 = | life_span = | era = <!-- Use: "Napoleonic Wars", "Cold War", etc. --> | event_pre = <!-- Optional: A crucial event that took place before "event_start" --> | date_pre = | event_post = <!-- Optional: A crucial event that took place before after "event_end" --> | date_post = <!-- Images --> | image_flag = | image_border = <!-- Default: "border"; for non-rectangular flag, type "no" --> | flag_type = <!-- Displayed text for link under flag. Default "Flag" --> | flag = India | image_coat = This was the emblem of the former Indian state of Patiala and East Punjab States Union.|100px | symbol_type = Emblem | symbol = Emblem of Punjab, India | image_map = PEPSU in India (1951).svg | image_map_caption = <small>1951 map of India. The Patiala and East Punjab States Union is shown forming enclaves in East Punjab.</small> <!-- Flag navigation: Preceding and succeeding entities "p1" to "p5" and "s1" to "s8" -->| p1 = Punjab States Agency | flag_p1 = <!-- Default: "Flag of {{{p1}}}.svg" (size 30) --> | border_p1 = <!-- Default: "border"; for non-rectangular flag, type "no" --> | image_p1 = <!-- Use: 20px|Image missing --> | s1 = Punjab, India{{!}}Punjab | flag_s1 = <!-- Default: "Flag of {{{s1}}}.svg" (size 30) --> | border_s1 = <!-- Default: "border"; for non-rectangular flag, type "no" --> | image_s1 = <!-- Use: 20px|Image missing --> <!-- Area and population of a given year (up to 5) -->| stat_area1 = 26208 | stat_year1 = 1951 | stat_pop1 = 3493685 | footnotes = <!-- Accepts wikilinks --> | s2 = Chandigarh | s3 = Haryana | s4 = Himachal Pradesh }}
The '''Patiala and East Punjab States Union''' ('''PEPSU''') was a State of India, uniting eight princely states between 1948 and 1956. The capital and principal city was Patiala. The state covered an area of 26,208 km<sup>2</sup>. Kasauli, Kandaghat and Chail were also part of the PEPSU.
== History ==
=== Princely states union === It was created by combining eight princely states (7 Punjab States & 1 Punjab Hill State), which maintained their native rulers : ; Six Salute states * Patiala, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 17 guns (19-guns local) * Jind, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 13 guns (15-guns personal and local) * Kapurthala, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 13 guns (15-guns personal and local) * Nabha, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 13 guns (15-guns local): * Faridkot, title Raja, Hereditary salutes of 11 guns * Malerkotla, title Nawab, Hereditary salute of 11 guns
; and two Non-salute states * Kalsia, title Raja (till 1916 Sardar){{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} * Nalagarh, title Raja.
The state was inaugurated on 15 July 1948 and formally became a state of India in 1950.
=== Successor states === [[File:Punjab 1951-66.svg|thumb|475px|PEPSU state in East Punjab]] On 1 November 1956, PEPSU was merged mostly into Punjab State under the States Reorganisation Act.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://indiacode.nic.in/qrydisp.asp?tfnm=195637%20&tfnm2=11 |title=States Reorganisation Act, 1956 |date=31 August 1956 |series=India Code Updated Acts |publisher=Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India|pages=section 9 |access-date=16 May 2013}}</ref>
A part of the former state of PEPSU, including the present day Jind district (Jind & Narwana), area of Pinjore in north Haryana, as well as the Charkhi Dadri, Bawal and Mahendragarh Narnaul in south-west Haryana, presently lie within the state of Haryana, which was separated from Punjab on 1 November 1966. Some other areas that belonged to PEPSU, notably (Kandaghat etc.) Solan and Nalagarh, now lie in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
==Rajpramukh and Uparajpramukh== {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !S. no. !Rajpramukh !Portrait !colspan=3|Tenure !Uparajpramukh !Portrait !Appointed by |- !1 |Yadavindra Singh |75px |15 July 1948 |1 November 1956 |{{age in years and days|1948|07|15|1956|11|01}} |Jagatjit Singh |75px |''C. Rajagopalachari'' |}
==Chief Ministers==
'''Color key''' * {{legend|{{party color|Indian National Congress}}|Indian National Congress (2)|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} *{{legend|#DDDDDD|Independent (1)||border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} '''Other keys''' * {{note label|d|d|d}} Died in Office * {{note label|pd|pd|pd}} Position Dissolved * {{note label|R|R|R}} Resigned
*{{legend|wheat|Acting Chief Minister|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
{|class="wikitable sortable" id="pm list" style="width:100%; text-align:center" |- ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" width="5px" |No ! colspan="1" rowspan="2" width="100px" | Portrait ! rowspan="2" | Name {{small|(Birth–Death)}}<br> {{small|(Constituency)}} ! colspan="2" |Term of office ! rowspan="2" |Time in office ! rowspan="2" | Party<br>{{small|(Alliance/ Partner)}} ! rowspan="2" |Assembly <br>(Election) ! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="number" | Appointed by<br>{{small|(Rajpramukh)}}
|- !Took office !Left office |- !colspan=10|Interim Government (1948–1949) |- |bgcolor=wheat| '''-''' |bgcolor=#DDDDDD| |bgcolor=wheat|75px |bgcolor=wheat|Gian Singh Rarewala<br>{{small|(1901-1979)}}<br>{{small|( – )}}<br>{{small|(Acting)}} |bgcolor=wheat |15 July 1948 |bgcolor=wheat|13 January 1949 |bgcolor=wheat|{{ayd|1948|07|15|1949|01|13}} |bgcolor=wheat|IND |bgcolor=wheat|Interim Government |Yadavindra Singh |- !colspan=10|Premier (1949-1952) |- !1 |bgcolor=#DDDDDD| |75px |Gian Singh Rarewala<br>{{small|(1901-1979)}}<br>{{small|( – )}} |13 January 1949 |23 May 1951{{ref label|R|R|R}} |{{ayd|1949|01|13|1951|05|23}} |IND |rowspan=2|Not Yet Created |rowspan=2|Yadavindra Singh |- !2 |bgcolor={{party color|Indian National Congress}}| | 75px |Raghbir Singh<br>{{small|(1895-1955)}}<br>{{small|( – )}} |23 May 1951 |21 April 1952 |{{ayd|1951|05|23|1953|04|21}} |Indian National Congress |- !colspan=10|Chief Minister (1952–1956) |- !1 |bgcolor={{party color|Indian National Congress}}| | 75px |Raghbir Singh<br>{{small|(1895-1955)}}<br>{{small|(Patiala Sadar)}} |21 April 1952 |22 April 1952{{ref label|R|R|R}} |{{ayd|1952|04|21|1952|04|22}} |Indian National Congress |rowspan=2|1st<br>(1952) |rowspan=2|Yadavindra Singh |- !2 |bgcolor=#DDDDDD| |75px |Gian Singh Rarewala<br>{{small|(1901-1979)}}<br>{{small|(Amloh)}} |22 April 1952 |5 March 1953 |{{ayd|1952|04|22|1953|03|05}} |IND<br>{{small|(UDF)}} |- !colspan=2|(i) |97x97px |Vacant{{efn|name=PR|''President's rule'' may be imposed when the "government in a state is not able to function as per the Constitution", which often happens because no party or coalition has a majority in the assembly. When President's rule is in force in a state, its council of ministers stands dissolved. The office of chief minister thus lies vacant, and the administration is taken over by the governor, who functions on behalf of the central government. At times, the legislative assembly also stands dissolved.<ref>Amberish K. Diwanji. "[http://www.rediff.co.in/news/2005/mar/15spec1.htm A dummy's guide to President's rule]". Rediff.com. 15 March 2005.</ref>}} <br />(President's rule) |5 March 1953 |8 March 1954 |{{ayd|1953|03|05|1954|03|08}} | colspan=2 | - |''Rajendra Prasad'' |- !(1) |rowspan=2 bgcolor={{party color|Indian National Congress}}| | 75px |Raghbir Singh<br>{{small|(1895-1955)}}<br>{{small|(Patiala Sadar)}} |8 March 1954 |12 January 1955{{ref label|d|d|d}} |{{ayd|1954|03|08|1955|01|12}} |rowspan=2|Indian National Congress |rowspan=2|2nd <br>(1954) |rowspan=2|Yadavindra Singh |- !3 |75px |Brish Bhan<br>{{small|(1908-1988)}}<br>{{small|(Kalayat)}} |12 January 1955 |1 November 1956{{ref label|pd|pd|pd}} |{{ayd|1955|01|12|1956|11|01}} |}
== Institutions == [[File:Patiala and East Punjab States Union - PEPSU logo.jpg|thumb|Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) coat of arms in the inauguration stone of Government Medical College, Patiala]]
=== Heads of state and government === When the state was formed, the then-Maharaja of Patiala, Yadavindra Singh, was appointed its Rajpramukh (equivalent to Governor). He remained in office during the entire length of the state's short existence. The then Maharaja of Kapurthala, Jagatjit Singh, served as Uparajpramukh (lieutenant-governor).{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
Gian Singh Rarewala was sworn in on 13 January 1949 as the first Chief Minister of PEPSU. Col. Raghbir Singh became the next Chief Minister on 23 May 1951, and Brish Bhan the Deputy Chief Minister.<ref name="PEPSU">{{cite web |title=Research Centre for Technical Development of Punjabi Language, Literature and Culture, Punjabi University, Patiala |url=https://eos.learnpunjabi.org/PATIALA%20AND%20EAST%20PUNJAB%20STATES%20UNION.html |publisher=Punjabi University |access-date=27 February 2024}}</ref>
The state elected a 60-member state legislative assembly on 6 January 1952. The Congress Party won 26 seats and the Akali Dal won 19 seats.
On 22 April 1952, Gian Singh Rarewala again became Chief Minister, this time an elected one. He led a coalition government, called the "United Front", formed by the Akali Dal and various independents. On 5 March 1953 his government was dismissed and President's rule was imposed on the state.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20011216/edit.htm#1|title=Rarewala: A Punjabi-loving gentleman-aristocrat|author=Singh, Roopinder|date=16 December 2001|work=The Tribune|archive-date=26 July 2013|access-date=16 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726064845/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20011216/edit.htm#1|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the mid-term poll that followed, the Congress party secured a majority and Raghbir Singh became Chief Minister on 8 March 1954. Upon his death, Brish Bhan became the Chief Minister on 12 January 1955 and remained in office as last incumbent.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
== Administration == Initially, in 1948, the state was divided into the following 8 districts & 25 sub-districts (tehsils):<ref name=":0">Page no. iii & iv - [https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/31763/download Punjab, India Census book part I-A report 1951]</ref> # Patiala - Patiala, Nabha, Rajpura # Kapurthala - Kapurthala, Phagwara # Bathinda - Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot # Fatehgarh Sahib - Sirhand, Payal, Amloh # Barnala - Barnala, Phul, Dhuri, Malerkotla # Sangrur - Sangrur, Sunam, Narwana, Jind # Kohistan - Kandaghat, Nalagarth, Dera Bassi # Mohindergarh - Mohindergarh, Narnaul, Dadri
In 1953, the number of districts in PEPSU was reduced from eight to five. Fatehgarh Sahib and Kohistan districts were dissolved and merged with Patiala district. Amloh and Payal tehsils of Fatehgarh Sahib were merged with Sirhind tehsil, while Dera Bassi tehsil of Kohistan district was merged with Rajpura tehsil. Barnala district was also abolished. It had four tehsils: Phul, Dhuri, Malerkotla, and Barnala. Dhuri, Malerkotla, Barnala, and part of Phul tehsil were transferred to Sangrur district, while the remaining portion of Phul tehsil was merged with Bhatinda district.<ref>[https://jind.gov.in/about-district/history/ History of jind district nic.in] or [https://web.archive.org/web/20250617111026/https://jind.gov.in/about-district/history/ Archived]</ref><ref>Page no. 10 - [https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/30478/download Punjab, india Census book Part II-A general population tables 1961] or Page no. 66 - [https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/30692 Census book Part I-A Punjab]</ref>
There were four Lok Sabha constituencies in this state. Three of them were single-seat constituency: Mohindergarh, Sangrur and Patiala. The Kapurthala-Bhatinda Lok Sabha constituency was a double-seat constituency.
== Demography == The state had a population of 3,493,685 (1951 census), of which 19% was urban. The population density was 133/km<sup>2</sup>.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/other-historical-places/punjab/patiala-and-east-punjab-states-union|title=Patiala and East Punjab States Union|publisher=The Sikh Encyclopedia|access-date=11 Nov 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821125923/https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/other-historical-places/punjab/patiala-and-east-punjab-states-union|archive-date=21 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The state had 64 towns and 5,708 villages.<ref name=":0" />
==Notes== {{notelist}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == # Singh, Gursharan (1991). ''History of PEPSU, India: Patiala and East Punjab States Union, 1948-1956'', Delhi: Konark Publishers, {{ISBN|81-220-0244-7}}.
{{coord|31.45|N|77.60|E|region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki|display=title}}
{{States of India on 26 January 1950}} {{Princely states of the Punjab and Simla Hills}} {{Authority control}}
Category:1948 establishments in India Category:1956 disestablishments in India Category:States and territories established in 1948 Category:History of Haryana (1947–present) Category:Patiala Category:History of Punjab, India (1947–present) Category:Former states and territories of India