Coorg State was a Part-C state in India which existed from 1950 to 1956. When the

Constitution of India The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ...

came into force on 26 January 1950, most of the existing provinces were reconstituted into states. Thus,

Coorg Province Coorg Province was a province of British India from 1834 to 1947 and the Dominion of India from 1947 to 1950. Mercara was the capital of the province. It was administered by a Commissioner and later, Chief Commissioner appointed by the Governm ...

became Coorg State. Coorg State was ruled by a Chief Commissioner with

Mercara Madikeri is a hill station town in Madikeri taluk and headquarters of Kodagu district in Karnataka, India. Etymology Madikeri was known as ''Muddu Raja Keri'', which meant Mudduraja's town, was named after the prominent Haleri king Muddura ...

as its capital. The head of the government was the Chief Minister. Coorg State was abolished on 1 November 1956 as per the

States Reorganisation Act, 1956 The States Reorganisation act, 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries of India's states and territories, organising them along linguistic lines. Although additional changes to India's state boundaries have been made since 1956, the States ...

and its territory were merged with

Mysore State Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a state within the Dominion of India and the later India, Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's c ...

(later renamed as

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

in 1973). Presently, Coorg forms a district of Karnataka state. South Indian territories

History

The Coorg State came into being on 26 January 1950 as per the

. Prior to the enactment of the Constitution, Coorg had been a province of the Dominion of India. The first legislative elections in Coorg were held in 1952. The main contenders were the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

led in the state by

C. M. Poonacha Cheppudira Muthana Poonacha was the Chief Minister of Coorg, Minister in Mysore State, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha), Union Railway Minister of India and Governor of Madhya Pradesh and Governor of Orissa. Freedom Movement C ...

and the Takkadi party led by the Gandhian Pandyanda Belliappa. While the Congress supported merger with the neighbouring

, the Takkadi party fought the election on an anti-merger plank. The Indian National Congress won a majority of 15 seats while the Takkadi party bagged the remaining nine seats.

Commissioners of Coorg State

(1) Dewan Bahadur Ketolira Chengappa, became its first Chief Commissioner from 1947–1949 (2) C.T. Mudaliar became Chief Commissioner from 1949 - 1950 (3) Kanwar Baba Daya Singh Bedi, Chief Commissioner from 1950 - 1956

Government of Coorg

Government was formed in Coorg by

, who won 15 of 24 seats. Cabinet was formed with two ministers (including Chief Minister), which lasted till

States Reorganisation Act The States Reorganisation act, 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries of India's states and territories, organising them along linguistic lines. Although additional changes to India's state boundaries have been made since 1956, the States ...

on 1 November 1956.

Chief Minister

Cheppudira Muthana Poonacha Cheppudira Muthana Poonacha was the Chief Minister of Coorg, Minister in Mysore State, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha), Union Railway Minister of India and Governor of Madhya Pradesh and Governor of Orissa. Freedom Movement ...

won from Berriathnad constituency became the first and last Chief Minister of Coorg State from 1950 till 1956.

Cabinet

, who was the Chief Minister took the charge of

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Ec ...

for Coorg State. * Kuttur Mallapa (elected to the assembly from the Sanivarsanthe constituency became the Home Minister of Coorg State

Dissolution

As a result of the

of 1 November 1956, when India's state boundaries were reorganised, Coorg State became a district of the then

Mysore State was later renamed as

and part of the historical region of Coorg now forms the

Kodagu Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. It occupies ...

district of Karnataka.

References

External links

Coorg State Legal Status 1956
{{States of India on 26 January 1950 Historical Indian regions Political integration of India States and territories disestablished in 1956 1950 establishments in India History of Karnataka (1947–present) Coorg Mysore State Gubernatorial titles