Question

What was the purpose of signing the Nagpur pact in 1953?

Answer 1

Hint: Nagpur pact of 1963 was signed to meet the demands of the separate state of Vidarbha which is located in the Eastern part of Maharashtra state. The pact came as negotiation or solution to assure equitable development for all the regions after Marathi state.

Complete answer: People of Vidarbha demanded a separate state for them with Nagpur as their capital. The State reorganisation committee considered their demands and all other aspects and supported and favoured separate Vidarbha state in their committee headed by Faizal Ali. However, the government rejected the recommendation and merged the Vidarbha into the state of Maharashtra and made Mumbai as its capital. This led to resentment among the people of Vidarbha as their demand for statehood was rejected and Nagpur lost its importance as a capital. Therefore the Nagpur pact was signed in 1953 which led to the creation of the state of Maharashtra. However, the pact guaranteed equitable development of all the regions of Maharashtra. Soon after the pact was signed the elections of 1962 took place and Congress faced resentment by securing only one assembly seat out of 4 from Nagpur.

Note: Though Nagpur lost its relevance as capital and Vidarbha could not be made a separate state according to the pact, Nagpur was made the second capital of the state of Maharashtra. Even after merging with the state of Maharashtra the demand for separate Vidarbha state has been raised time and again in terms of development etc.