Who was the first Chief Minister of Haryana?
- A.Rao Birender Singh
- B.Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma
- C.Bansi Lal
- D.Devi Lal
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma. He belonged to the Congress and was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of Haryana on 1 November 1966, the day the state came into being, heading a ministry formed from the Punjab legislators of the Haryana region.
Option A is wrong because Rao Birender Singh was the first Speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha and became Chief Minister only in 1967, as the state's first non-Congress head of government, after the Congress ministry elected that year collapsed. Option C is wrong because Bansi Lal became Chief Minister in 1968, after President's rule, and later served several terms. Option D is wrong because Devi Lal first became Chief Minister in 1977, more than a decade after the state was formed. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma is also remembered for presiding over the new state's first budget and its administrative set-up.
Read the full article: Formation of Haryana (1966): Act, Commissions and Facts
Practice Questions
View allOn which date did Haryana come into existence as a separate state of the Indian Union?
- A.1 November 1947
- B.1 November 1956
- C.1 November 1966
- D.1 November 1971
Show answer
On that day the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 came into force and the Hindi-speaking districts of the old State of Punjab became the new State of Haryana, with seven districts and Chandigarh as a shared capital.
Read the full explanation →Haryana was carved out of the erstwhile State of Punjab under which law?
- A.States Reorganisation Act, 1956
- B.Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966
- C.North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971
- D.Haryana State Act, 1965
Show answer
Parliament passed it as Act No. 31 of 1966 after the Shah Commission reported, and it created Haryana, made Chandigarh a Union Territory and joint capital, transferred the hill areas to Himachal Pradesh, kept a common High Court for both states and set up a board for the Bhakra-Nangal and…
Read the full explanation →Which commission, appointed in April 1966, demarcated the boundary between Punjab and Haryana?
- A.Fazl Ali Commission
- B.Dhar Commission
- C.Shah Commission
- D.Sarkaria Commission
Show answer
It was appointed on 23 April 1966 under Justice J. C. Shah of the Supreme Court, took the tehsil as its unit and the language returns of the 1961 census as its test, and submitted its report on 31 May 1966, after which the Punjab Reorganisation Act was passed.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first Governor of Haryana?
- A.Dharma Vira
- B.Gurdial Singh Dhillon
- C.Sardar Hukam Singh
- D.Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma
Show answer
A senior civil servant, he took office as the first Governor of Haryana on 1 November 1966, the day the state was created, and swore in the first Chief Minister.
Read the full explanation →How many districts did Haryana have when it was formed in 1966?
- A.Five
- B.Seven
- C.Twelve
- D.Twenty-two
Show answer
The new state began with Ambala, Gurgaon, Hisar, Jind, Karnal, Mahendragarh and Rohtak, spread over 44,212 square kilometres.
Read the full explanation →