Uttar Pradesh: Formation of the state

Uttar Pradesh took its present name on 24 January 1950, when the United Provinces was renamed, and reached its present size after Uttarakhand was carved out on 9 November 2000. Before that, the region passed through several British-era forms: the Agra Presidency, the North Western Provinces and the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. The state now has 75 districts with Lucknow as its capital.

From Presidency to Province

• Till 1834: the region was under the Bengal Presidency. There were three presidencies (Bengal, Bombay and Madras), and a fourth, the Agra Presidency, headed by a Governor, was then formed.
• 1856: Awadh was placed under a Chief Commissioner; its districts were later merged with the North Western Province.
• January 1858: Lord Canning moved to Allahabad (now Prayagraj) and formed the North Western Province; the seat of power shifted from Agra to Allahabad.
• The NRI Department's page says the High Court moved from Agra to Allahabad in 1868; the state portal gives 17 March 1866 as the date the Allahabad High Court was established.
• 1877: the region became the 'North Western Provinces and Oudh'.
• 1902: the whole province became the 'United Provinces of Agra and Oudh'.

Move of the Capital to Lucknow

• After the first election of the Legislative Council in 1920, the council was constituted in Lucknow in 1921.
• Since the Governor, Ministers and Secretaries had to be in Lucknow, Governor Sir Harcourt Butler moved his headquarters there from Allahabad.
• By 1935, the entire office had shifted, and Lucknow became the capital of the province.
• April 1937: the province was renamed United Provinces. The state has had a bi-cameral Legislature since 1937.

Birth of Uttar Pradesh

• On January 24, 1950, the Governor General of India passed the United Provinces (Alteration of Name) Order 1950, renaming the United Provinces as Uttar Pradesh.
• Uttar Pradesh Divas is celebrated every year on 24 January as the state's foundation day.
• It was first celebrated in 2018, on a proposal by former Governor Shri Ram Naik.
• The day aims to spread knowledge of the state's history, culture and development and to invite investment.

Creation of Uttarakhand

• The hill state of Uttarakhand was carved out of undivided UP on November 9, 2000.
• After this reorganisation, the strength of the Vidhan Parishad fell from 108 to 100.

New Districts Over Time

• 1865: Basti carved out of Gorakhpur.
• 1946: Deoria formed from Gorakhpur.
• 1989: Mahrajganj created by a further division of Gorakhpur.
• 4th April 1997: Kaushambi carved out of Allahabad district, with headquarters at Manjhanpur.
• Today the 75 districts are grouped into 18 divisions; for example, the Agra division has Agra, Mathura, Mainpuri and Firozabad, and Devipatan division is headquartered at Gonda.

Constitutional Set-up Today

• Governor and a bicameral Legislature under the Constitution; executive power is vested in the Governor.
• Vidhan Sabha: 403 members (state portal); it had 431 members till 1967. Term: five years unless dissolved earlier.
• Vidhan Parishad: a permanent House of 100 members.
• Parliament: 80 Lok Sabha and 31 Rajya Sabha members.
• High Court at Prayagraj, with a permanent bench at Lucknow; it is one of the oldest high courts in India.
• Each district is under a District Magistrate (also called Deputy Commissioner) and is divided into tehsils, blocks and villages.