History
When the state was formed, the then Maharaja of Patiala, His Highness Maharajadhiraj 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, His Highness Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthla served as Uparajpramukh. 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. The state elected a 60-member state legislative assembly on January 6, 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. 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 until 1 November 1956, when PEPSU was merged into Punjab State.
A part of the former state of PEPSU, including the south-eastern portion around Jind and the Narnaul enclave, presently lie within the state of Haryana, which was separated from Punjab on 1 November 1966. Some other areas that belonged to PEPSU, notably Solan and Nalagarh, now lie in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
Read more about this topic: Patiala And East Punjab States Union
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