In the independence and partition of British India of 1947, the 552 princely states were given a choice to either join the new Dominion of India or the newly formed state of Pakistan. The Nawab of Junagadh, Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III,acceded to the Dominion of Pakistan on 15 September 1947. A plebiscite was conducted in February 1948, which went almost unanimously in favour of accession to India. Hyderabad was the last princely state to acceded to the Indian Union. Its Nizam Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII, refused to accede and instead declared independence. India had to conduct a military operation on 13 September 1948, called Operation Polo, to annex Hyderabad in what was termed a "police action."
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