Understanding Princely States and Accession to India

After the partition of British India, over 500 princely states, which were not directly ruled by the British but were under their suzerainty, were given the option to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent. The vast majority of these states acceded to India, primarily due to the efforts of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Home Minister, and his secretary, V. P. Menon.

However, some princely states initially showed reluctance or unwillingness to join the Indian Union. Let's examine the stance of the states mentioned in the options around July 1947:

• Baroda: The Maharaja of Baroda, Pratapsingh Gaekwad, was among the early signatories to the Instrument of Accession and integrated his state into the Indian Union relatively smoothly. Baroda did not present significant resistance.
• Travancore: The Dewan of Travancore, C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, initially declared Travancore's intention to remain independent. This stance was met with opposition both internally and from the Indian government. Travancore was one of the states that initially posed a challenge to integration, especially before India's independence in August 1947.
• Bikaner: Maharaja Sadul Singh of Bikaner was one of the first rulers of a princely state to announce his decision to join India. Bikaner's accession was swift and did not involve significant reluctance or delay until July 1947.
• Bhopal: Nawab Hamidullah Khan of Bhopal, being a prominent ruler and Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes, was initially reluctant to join India and even contemplated independence or joining Pakistan. Bhopal's accession process was complex and took longer than many other states, involving initial resistance around the July 1947 period.

Based on historical accounts concerning the period leading up to and including July 1947, Travancore and Bhopal were notable examples of princely states that initially expressed unwillingness or hesitation to join the Indian Union, unlike Baroda and Bikaner which acceded relatively early and smoothly.

Therefore, the princely states that were unwilling to join the Indian Union until July 1947 included Travancore and Bhopal.