Rajpramukh

Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India which existed from India's independence in 1947 until 1956. Rajpramukhs were the appointed governors of certain of India's provinces and states.

British India, which included modern-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, was made up of two types of political units. Fifteen provinces were ruled directly by British officials, either a governor or a chief commissioner, who were appointed by the Viceroy. Princely states were ruled by local, hereditary rulers, who acknowledged British sovereignty in return for local autonomy. At the time of the proclamation of Queen Victoria as Empress of India in 1877, more than 700 Indian princely states and territories enjoyed treaty relations with the British Crown. The exact relationship between the Government of India (under the British rule) and these states varied enormously, ranging from treaties of alliance, defence, protection, or supervision to almost outright control. The British Crown assumed these rights from the British East India Company in 1857 and exercised paramountcy in respect of the internal governance which was exercised by the British Viceroy.

British India had hundreds of princely states, which varied greatly in size, from Hyderabad, with a population of over ten million, to tiny states. Most of the princely states were under the authority of a British political agent responsible to the governor of a province, but the four largest princely states, Hyderabad, Baroda, Mysore, and Jammu and Kashmir, were directly under the authority of the viceroy. Two agencies, the Central India Agency and Rajputana Agency, were made up of numerous princely states, and administered by political agents appointed by the viceroy.

After Indian Independence, 1947-1950

On 20 February 1947, His majesty's Government announced its intention to transfer power in British India to Indian hands by June 1948. However, the Cabinet Mission Plan on 16 May 1947 failed to evolve a constitution for India acceptable to all contending parties. In the circumstance, His majesty's Government announced on 3 June 1947 its intention to partition India into two dominions. On 15 July 1947, the House of Commons passed the India Independence Bill to facilitate this division of India into the dominions of India and Pakistan. The House of Lords followed suit the next day. The Bill received the Royal assent on 18 July 1947. From this day the suzerainty of His majesty's government over the Indian states lapsed as per 7(b) of the India Independence Act 1947, and with it all treaties between the British Government and the Indian states also got a legal quietus. The Rulers of the Indian States became sovereign rulers from 18 July 1947, and they were free to accede to either of the two dominions or remain independent. As per the provisions of the Act, on 15 August 1947 two independent dominions of India and Pakistan were established. The leaders in the Indian Independence movement strongly pursued the Indian rulers to accede their states to the Indian dominion. By 15 August 1947 virtually all the Rulers had signed the Instrument of Accession with the Governor-General of India, giving power to the dominion government to make laws on the three subjects of foreign policy, communication and defense, and otherwise they remained sovereign rulers. Three Indian states namely Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, and Junagadh, failed to accede to either of the dominions. Jammu together with parts of Kashmir was incorporated into India after the Maharaja Hari Singh was forced to seek Indian military intervention against the marauding Pakistan sponsored tribal lords. In time, the two remaining states of Hyderabad and Junagadh were incorporated into India by force of arms.

In 1948 the Maharaja of Gwalior signed a covenant with the rulers of the adjoining princely states to form a new state known as Madhya Bharat. This new covenanting state was to be governed by a council of the rulers with a head known as Rajpramukh. This new state signed a fresh Instrument of Accession with the Indian dominion. Subsequently many other Indian states merged with their neighboring Indian states on the same lines to form the covenanting states known as Vindhya Pradesh, Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), Rajputana, etc.

Rajpramukhs in the Indian Republic, 1950-1956

In the intervening period the Dominion Government of India had set up a Constitution Assembly to formulate a new Constitution for India. By 26 October 1949 the constituent assembly had finalized a new constitution for India and all the Acceding Indian States and the Covenanting states decided to merge their Kingdom/Covenanting state with the New Republic of India. On 26 January 1950 India became a republic. The new constitution created four types of administrative divisions in India. Nine Part A states, which were the former British provinces, were ruled by an elected governor and state legislature. Eight Part B states, which were former princely states or groups of covenanting states, were governed by a Rajpramukh. Ten Part C states included both former princely states and provinces, were governed by a chief commissioner. A union territory was ruled by a governor appointed by the Indian president.

As per Art.366 of the Indian Constitution ( as it existed in 1950):

Art 366(21): Rajpramukh means-(a) in relation to the States of Hyderabad, the person for the time being is recognised by the President as Nizam of Hyderabad.;(b) in relation to the State of Jammu and Kashmir or the State of Mysore, the person who for the time being is recognized by the President as the Maharaja of that State; and(c) in relation to any other State specified in Part B of the First Schedule, the person who for the time being is recognized by the President as the Rajpramukh of that State, and includes in relation to any of the said States any person for the time being recognized by the President as competent to exercise the powers of the Rajpramukh in relation to that State.

The eight Part B states were Hyderabad, Saurashtra, Mysore, Travancore-Cochin, Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh, Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), and Rajasthan.

Governing Rajpramukhs, 1948-1956

*Hyderabad state had Fath Jang Mir Osman Ali Khan (b. 1886 -d. 1967) as Rajpramukh from 26 January 1950 to 31 October 1956.
*Saurashtra had Sir Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavsinhji (b. 1912 -d. 1965) and Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja (b. 1895 -d. 1966) as acting and regular Rajpramukh respectively. Meanwhile Maharana Maharaja Shri Raj Mayurdhwajsinhji Meghrajji III Ghanshyamsinghji Sahib, on the establishment of the United State of Kathiawar (Saurashtra) in 1948, was installed as Uprajpramukh (Deputy Rajpramukh) and he served as Acting Rajpramukh during the absence of the Rajpramukh.
*Mysore (renamed Karnataka on 1 November 1973) had Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur (b. 1919 -d. 1974) as Rajpramukh. He continued as Governor from 1st November 1956 to 4th May 1964. He held office as Governor of Tamil Nadu (then known as Madras State) from 4 May 1964 to 26 June 1966.
*Travancore-Cochin state had Sir Bala Rama Varma II (b. 1912 -d. 1991) as Rajpramukh from 1 Jul 1949 - 31 Oct 1956.
*Madhya Bharat had Sir George Jivaji Rao Scindia (b. 1916 -d. 1961) as Rajpramukh from 28th May 1948 to 31st Oct 1956.
*Rajasthan had two Rajpramukhs, Bhim Singh II (b. 1909 -d. 1991) from 25th March 1948 to 18th April 1948 and Sir Bhopal Singh (b. 1884 -d. 1955) from 18th April 1948 - 1st April 1949. The latter continued with the designation of Maha Rajpramukh from 1st April 1949 to 4th July 1955. The Maharana of Udaipur was appointed as Rajpramukh and Kota Naresh was appointed as Up- Rajpramukh of Union of many former princely states of Rajasthan, and subsequently Maharana Bhupal Singh of Udaipur was appointed as the Maha-Rajpramukh and the Kota Naresh was appointed as the Up- Rajpramukh.
*Vindhya Pradesh had Martand Singh (b. 1923 - d. 1995) during 1948-49, then passing under the administration of a Chief Commissioner.
* Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) had Yadavindra Singh (b. 1913 -d. 1974) as Rajpramukh.

After 1956

On November 1, 1956, the States Reorganization Act took effect, which erased the distinction between parts A, B, and C states, and reorganized state boundaries along linguistic lines. Of the Part B states, Rajputana was merged with Ajmer-Merwara state to become Rajasthan; Hyderabad was partitioned among Mysore, Andhra Pradesh, and Bombay state; Saurashtra was merged into Bombay state; Travancore-Cochin was merged with Malabar district to form the new state of Kerala; Madhya Bharat and Vindhya Pradesh were merged into Madhya Pradesh; Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) was merged into Punjab state, and Mysore state was enlarged with the addition of Coorg state and parts of Bombay and Hyderabad states.

The guarantees and undertakings given by the Union government of India were gradually withdrawn over a twenty-year period after independence. By 1956, the system of voluntary unions of states was dismantled and the position of Rajpramukh abolished. New states were created along linguistic and ethnic lines, which tore apart the traditional ties that existed in the former princely states. As the princely rulers died one by one more time was being taken before their successors were recognized by the Government of India. When they were recognized it was usually after they were persuaded to accept lower privy purses or reductions in privileges. Eventually, the government of Mrs. Gandhi sought to curb their influence which resulted in the abolition of the privy purses guaranteed by the Indian Constitution and the elimination of the princely order itself as per the policy of the Congress party. This process was completed by the end of 1971. Thereafter, the princely order has ceased to be officially recognized. They have since only enjoyed their traditional styles and titles on a social basis.