What is Patiala and East Punjab States Union?
The '''Patiala and East Punjab States Union''' (PEPSU) was a former [[States and territories of India|state]] of [[India]]. It was created out of the merger of several [[Punjab region|Punjab]]i [[princely state]]s on 15 July 1948, formally becoming a state of India in 1950. The capital and principal city was Patiala, and the last [[Maharaja]] of Patiala, Yadvindra Singh, served as Governor of the state during its short existence. The Governor was appointed by the President of India, but the people of the state also elected a 60-member state assembly, first elected on 6 January 1952. The [[Congress Party]] won 26 seats and the [[Akali Dal]] 19 seats. On 1 November 1956, PEPSU was merged into Punjab state. Part of the former state of PEPSU, including the southeastern portion of the state around Jind and the Narnaul enclave, presently lie within the state of [[Haryana]], which was [[Partition (politics)|separated]] from [[East Punjab|Punjab]] on 1 November 1966. {{Asia-stub}} [[Category:History of Punjab]]