---
title: "Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: Iron Man of India | Model Diplomat"
description: "Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel integrated 562 princely states into India as first Home Minister, using the Instrument of Accession—key UPSC GS1 modern-history figure."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/sardar-vallabhbhai-patel"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister who integrated 562 princely states into the Indian Union between 1947 and 1949.
- How many princely states did Patel integrate, and through what instrument?
- What was the difference in approach between Patel and Nehru?
- Which states resisted accession, and how were they resolved?
- What is Patel's institutional legacy for the Indian civil services?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 15 August 1947

   By 1947 he was, alongside Jawaharlal Nehru, the dominant figure in the Congress Working Committee and the obvious choice to hold the Home, States, and Inform…

2. 13 September 1948

   Hyderabad, the largest and wealthiest state, was annexed through Operation Polo, a "police action" launched on that ended the Nizam's resistance within five…

3. 31 October 2018

   The Statue of Unity near Kevadia in Gujarat, inaugurated on —the 143rd anniversary of his birth—stands 182 metres as the world's tallest statue and made his…

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In September 1948, Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel authorised Operation Polo, the five-day military action that compelled the Nizam of Hyderabad to accede to the Indian Union.

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