Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960
"The central legislation enacted under Article 3 that bifurcated the bilingual Bombay State into the two unilingual states of Maharashtra and Gujarat with effect from May 1, 1960 — a date now celebrated as Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day."
The Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960, passed by Parliament on April 25, 1960, came into force on May 1, 1960, and divided the bilingual Bombay State (created in 1956 under the States Reorganisation Act) into two new linguistic states. Key provisions: (a) Creation of the new state of Gujarat comprising the Gujarati-speaking areas, including Saurashtra, Kutch, and parts of the erstwhile Bombay State; (b) Renaming the residuary territory as the State of Maharashtra; (c) Bombay city was retained in Maharashtra after intense political negotiation, with Gujarat foregoing its claim; (d) Distribution of assets and liabilities between the two new states; (e) Reorganisation of services, judiciary (separate Gujarat High Court at Ahmedabad with jurisdiction over Gujarat), and elected representatives. Background: The States Reorganisation Commission (Fazl Ali Commission, 1953-55) had recommended a bilingual state for the Bombay region, which the SRC implemented in 1956. This sparked the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement (demanding a Marathi-speaking state with Bombay) and the Mahagujarat Movement (demanding a separate Gujarati state). The agitations were intense — the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement saw 105 'Hutatmas' (martyrs) killed in police firing at Flora Fountain, Bombay (now Hutatma Chowk) on November 21, 1955. Yashwantrao Chavan became Maharashtra's first Chief Minister; Jivraj Mehta became Gujarat's first Chief Minister. The Act was preceded by the Seventh Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956, which inserted Article 371(2) creating special development responsibilities for the Governors.
Important for GS1 (post-Independence consolidation, linguistic reorganisation) and GS2 Polity (federal restructuring, Article 3 in action). May 1 is a current-affairs anchor — Maharashtra Day commemorations, Hutatma Chowk memorials, debates over Vidarbha statehood, Marathwada development. The Act is a textbook example of how a bilingual state experiment failed within four years of being created and was replaced by linguistic states — vindicating the original SRC majority view that linguistic reorganisation was inevitable.
- 1 Passed by Parliament April 25, 1960; came into force MAY 1, 1960
- 2 Bifurcated bilingual Bombay State into MAHARASHTRA and GUJARAT
- 3 Bombay city retained in Maharashtra after political negotiation
- 4 First CM Maharashtra: Yashwantrao Chavan; first CM Gujarat: Jivraj Mehta
- 5 Preceded by 7th Constitutional Amendment Act 1956 — inserting Article 371(2)
- 6 Outcome of Samyukta Maharashtra and Mahagujarat movements
- 7 105 Hutatmas — martyrs of Samyukta Maharashtra Movement at Flora Fountain (now Hutatma Chowk)
- 8 May 1 celebrated as Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day
On May 1, 2026, Maharashtra and Gujarat marked their 66th Foundation Day. Maharashtra's main commemoration was held at Shivaji Park, Mumbai, with Governor and CM paying tributes at Hutatma Chowk. The day continues to be invoked in regional politics — Vidarbha statehood proponents cite the unfulfilled promise of Article 371(2) inserted alongside the Act, arguing that linguistic statehood alone has not delivered balanced regional development.
