The United Provinces (UP) was a
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
and, subsequently,
independent India.
History
It came into existence on 1 April 1937 as a result of the shortening of the name of the "
United Provinces of British India". It corresponded approximately to the combined regions of the present-day Indian states of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
and
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...
.
Provincial autonomy
The
Government of India Act 1935
The Government of India Act 1935 (25 & 26 Geo. 5. c. 42) was an Act of Parliament (UK), act passed by the British Parliament that originally received royal assent in August 1935. It was the longest act that the British Parliament ever enact ...
enlarged the elected provincial legislature and expanded provincial autonomy vis-a-vis the central government.
In the elections held in 1937, the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
won the majority seats, but declined to form a government. Therefore, on 1 April 1937, and the
Nawab of Chhatari, the leader of the National Agriculturist Parties, was invited to form a minority provisional government.
The Congress reversed its decision and resolved to accept office in July 1937. Therefore, the Governor
Sir Harry Graham Haig invited
Govind Ballabh Pant to form the government.
In 1939, all of the Congress ministries in British Indian provinces resigned and the United Provinces were placed under the Governor's rule. In 1945, the British Labour government ordered new elections to the Provincial legislatures. The Congress won a majority in the 1946 elections in the United Provinces and Pant was again the Premier, continuing even after India's
independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
in 1947.
Post-independence
Following independence in 1947, the
princely states of
Rampur,
Banares and
Tehri-Garwal were merged into the United Provinces. On 25 January 1950, this unit was renamed as
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
. In 2000, the separate state of Uttaranchal, now known as
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...
, was carved out of Uttar Pradesh.
See also
*
Presidencies and provinces of British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
References
External links
The interesting story on how United Province became Uttar Pradeshat ''Business Standard''
{{DEFAULTSORT:United Provinces (1937-1950)
1937 establishments in British India
1950 disestablishments in India
Provinces of British India
Historical Indian regions
British administration in Uttar Pradesh