In the year 1960, which one of the following states officially became the 15th state of the Republic of India?

Gujarat

The correct answer is Option (2) → Gujarat

In the year 1960, the state of Gujarat officially became the 15th state of the Republic of India.

This occurred following the Bombay Reorganisation Act of 1960, which bifurcated the bilingual state of Bombay into two separate linguistic states: Maharashtra for Marathi speakers and Gujarat for Gujarati speakers. While both states were established on May 1, 1960, Gujarat is historically recognized as the 15th state admitted to the Indian Union.

Chronology of Related States:

• Gujarat (1960): Carved out of Bombay State; became the 15th state.
• Nagaland (1963): Carved out of Assam; became the 16th state.
• Haryana (1966): Carved out of Punjab; became the 17th state.
• Himachal Pradesh (1971): Elevated from a Union Territory to the 18th state.
• Odisha: Formed as a separate province in 1936 and attained statehood with the commencement of the Constitution in 1950.