Which among these was not a presidency during pre-independence era?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Delhi
Option (1) Madras — A presidency (Incorrect). Before Independence, British India was divided into large provinces called ‘presidencies’, and Madras was one of the three major ones.
Option (2) Bombay — A presidency (Incorrect). Bombay was another of the three major presidencies, a large multi-ethnic and multilingual province.
Option (3) Delhi — Not a presidency (Correct). The three major presidencies were Madras, Bombay and Calcutta, each named after its city; all three cities have since changed their names. Delhi did not give its name to any presidency.
Option (4) Calcutta — A presidency (Incorrect). Calcutta was the third of the three major presidencies. After Independence these units of the colonial era were reorganised into linguistic States.
NCERT (2025-26): “6.2 Regionalism in the Indian Context … After Independence, initially the Indian state continued with the British-Indian arrangement dividing India into large provinces, also called ‘presidencies’. (Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta were the three major presidencies; incidentally, all three cities after which the presidencies were named have changed their names recently). These were large multi-ethnic and multilingual provincial states constituting the major political-administrative units of a semi-federal state called the Union of India. Soon after the adoption of the Constitution, all these units of the colonial era had to be reorganised into ethno-linguistic States within the Indian union in response to strong popular agitations.…” |