President's rule was imposed on the state. In the mid-term poll that followed, the Congress party secured a majority and Raghbir Singh became Chief Minister on 8 March 1954. Upon his death, Brish Bhan became the Chief Minister on 12 January 1955 and remained in office as last incumbent. Subdivisions Initially, in 1948, the state was divided into the following eight districts: Patiala Nabha Jind Faridkot Kalsian Kapurthala Malerkotla Nalagarh In 1953, the number of districts was reduced from eight to five. Barnala district became part of Sangrur district and Kohistan and Fatehgarh districts became part of Patiala district. There were four Lok Sabha constituencies in this state. Three of them were single-seat constituency: Mohindergarh, Sangrur and Patiala. The Kapurthala-Bhatinda Lok Sabha constituency was a double-seat constituency. Demography The state had a population of 3,493,685 (1951 census), of which 19% was urban. The population density was 133/km². Notes References Further reading Singh, Gursharan (1991). History of PEPSU, India: Patiala and East Punjab States Union, 1948-1956, Delhi: Konark Publishers, . 1948 establishments in India 1956 disestablishments in India States and territories established in 1948 History of Haryana (1947–present) Patiala History of Punjab, India (1947–present) Former states and territories of India