Chapter Overview

On 1 November 2000 Chhattisgarh (छत्तीसगढ़) was carved out of Madhya Pradesh and became India’s 26th state. Every year the state celebrates that day as Chhattisgarh Rajyotsava (छत्तीसगढ़ राज्योत्सव). This chapter covers how the state came to exist and how it is governed today. It is one of the most reliable scoring areas in Prelims Paper I Part 2 because the facts are fixed: dates, “firsts”, seat numbers and the district count.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to:

Trace the demand for a separate Chhattisgarh, from early regional voices to the movement of the 1990s
State the key provisions and dates of the Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 (मध्यप्रदेश पुनर्गठन अधिनियम, 2000)
Name the state’s first Governor, Chief Minister, Speaker and Chief Justice
Explain the administrative structure: divisions, districts, legislature, High Court and representation in Parliament
Recall the state symbols, the state song and the official languages
Write a balanced Mains answer on why the state was formed and whether small states and new districts improve governance

Prerequisites

1857 and the Freedom Movement in Chhattisgarh: the leaders whose regional consciousness fed the statehood demand
State Government: Governor, Chief Minister and state legislature in general
High Courts: composition and jurisdiction of a High Court

Learning Path

Follow these topics in order:

graph TD
    A["1. Demand for a separate state"] --> B["2. MP Reorganisation Act, 2000"]
    B --> C["3. Birth of the state: 1 Nov 2000"]
    C --> D["4. Firsts: Governor, CM, Speaker, CJ"]
    D --> E["5. Capital: Raipur and Nava Raipur Atal Nagar"]
    E --> F["6. Divisions and districts"]
    F --> G["7. Legislature, High Court, Parliament seats"]
    G --> H["8. State symbols and identity"]
    H --> I["Quick Revision"]

Topics in This Chapter

#	Topic	What it covers	Read time
1	Formation of Chhattisgarh	Statehood demand, MP Reorganisation Act 2000, 1 November 2000, first office-holders, capital	12 min
2	Administrative Structure of Chhattisgarh	5 divisions and 33 districts, 90-seat Vidhan Sabha, High Court at Bilaspur, 11 Lok Sabha and 5 Rajya Sabha seats, state symbols	12 min
—	Quick Revision	Every date, name and number of this chapter on one page	4 min

Where It Is Asked

Exam Focus

Prelims P-I (Chhattisgarh part): one-liners on the formation date, the “26th state” rank, first office-holders, seat numbers, the district count and the newest districts, and state symbols. Expect statement-based traps that swap 1, 9 and 15 November 2000, or 90 and 230 seats.
Mains P-III GS-I: the history of the statehood movement and the state’s constitutional machinery (legislature, executive, High Court).
Mains P-VII GS-V: administrative reorganisation as a governance and welfare tool, for example whether small states and new districts bring administration closer to people.
Interview: “Why was Chhattisgarh formed, and has statehood delivered?” is a natural board question for a candidate from the state.

Quick Reference

Fact	Detail
Parent state	Madhya Pradesh
Law	Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 (Act No. 28 of 2000)
President’s assent	25 August 2000 (President K. R. Narayanan)
Formation day	1 November 2000, India’s 26th state
Sister states of 2000	Uttarakhand (then Uttaranchal), 9 Nov 2000; Jharkhand, 15 Nov 2000
First Governor	Dinesh Nandan Sahay
First Chief Minister	Ajit Jogi (INC)
First Speaker	Rajendra Prasad Shukla (elected 14 December 2000)
First Chief Justice	W. A. Shishak (Justice R. S. Garg was the first Acting CJ)
Capital	Raipur; secretariat and new Vidhan Sabha at Nava Raipur Atal Nagar
Legislature	Unicameral Vidhan Sabha, 90 seats (29 ST, 10 SC)
High Court	Bilaspur
Parliament	11 Lok Sabha, 5 Rajya Sabha seats
Divisions and districts	5 divisions, 33 districts (as of 2026; unchanged since September 2022)

Start Learning

Ready to begin? Start with the first topic:

→ Formation of Chhattisgarh