Saurashtra 1953

Since India achieved independence in 1947, there have been several reshuffling of internal boundaries that created a burning political hot game until 1956, when it calmed down for a relatively long time. India has seen roughly 50 such states and union territories; many exist with new names (Mysore - Karnataka, Madras - Tamil Nadu) or have ceased to exist (Matsya Union, Vindhya Pradesh, etc.). Since Gujarat and central India had some of the most complicated political boundaries concerning the former Princely States, The Government of India made multiple short-lived intermittent states until 1956. The stretch from today's Gujarat to western Madhya Pradesh saw several exchanges of boundaries, much of what was taken from the erstwhile Bombay Province and added to form Saurashtra State (that later again merged into the Bombay State). 

Saurashtra is not a new name in Indian history and is referred to as Sorath or Kathiawar. But the Saurashtra State at its formation had only 1.4% of India's area and 1.2% population, a statistic too unviable to remain a state. At the time of independence, there was no smaller state capable of surviving on its own and hence sought a merger with the neighbouring, more prominent regions. For Saurashtra, it was the Bombay State. The coalition of some 222 Princely States promised a harmonious union, but the administration of Saurashtra State had already anticipated dilution of the State. The Congress government caused the delay as the Congress party wished to check the progress of this experiment. 

The other reason was the economic backwardness of the region as compared to its neighbouring territories. The British developed ports such as Bombay and Surat but left Saurashtra negligent, resulting in poor infrastructure, connectivity and overall development. But even after such drawbacks, Saurashtra State, for whatever period it survived, showed impressive results regarding the State's growth, especially in the capital Rajkot. Saurashtra was deprived of major industrial cities such as Surat, Baroda (Vadodara) or Ahmadabad (Ahmedabad) that were part of the larger Bombay State. 

After merging into Bombay in 1956, three such demands wished to reinstate the State; 1966-67, 1970 and 1971. The profits earned by the Bombay State elsewhere were not well-reached in the Saurashtra region, and its capital Rajkot was dwarfed as a district headquarter. Moreover, the area had no High Court, making the legal system tedious compared to other regions. Only in 1963 did the Chief Minister from Bhavnagar receive rapid development into an important port. 

As per an India Today report of 2017, today's Surendranagar, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar districts contribute to the overall economic growth of the entire Gujarat state. The city of Rajkot ranked as the best performing city in education, Bhavnagar in the category of health and Jamnagar in agriculture. 

Below is a post-independent 1953 map of Saurashtra State with pockets of Bombay State and the neighbouring Cutch State in the north.