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Why was the former state of Bombay divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960?

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Flag of India — India The Indian flag is also called the tricolor. The top band is saffron in color (signifying courage), the middle band is white (signifying peace and truth), and the bottom band is green (signifying fertility and growth). The wheel in the middle depicts the wheel of the law in the lion capital in Sarnath that Mauryan emperor Ashoka created.

The former state of Bombay was divided into the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat on May 1, 1960, primarily due to linguistic differences and the resulting public agitation for administrative reorganization based on language.123

Following the States Reorganization Act of 1956, the state of Bombay remained a linguistically divided entity, with Gujarati-speaking populations concentrated in the north and Marathi-speaking populations in the south. This structure conflicted with the broader post-independence movement in India to reorganize provincial borders so that each major regional language would have its own administrative reflection.123

Persistent protests and demands from both language groups for separate states eventually led the government to split the region. Consequently, Gujarat was established in the north, and the newly renamed Maharashtra was formed in the south, with the city of Bombay serving as the capital of Maharashtra.12