According to the 2001 Census, Maharashtra has the largest urban population in India. Which pair of states comes next in terms of size of urban population?

Introduction / Context:
Urban population figures provide insight into the scale of cities and towns in different states. While the level of urbanisation is measured as a percentage, the absolute size of the urban population in each state can be quite different. This question mentions that Maharashtra had the largest urban population according to the 2001 Census and asks which pair of states had the next largest urban populations.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Maharashtra is stated to have the largest urban population in 2001.
• The options list pairs of states: Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu; Delhi and Punjab; Haryana and Gujarat; West Bengal and Delhi.
• We are looking for the states that had the second and third largest urban populations after Maharashtra.
• We assume census based urban population numbers for various states.

Concept / Approach:
According to 2001 Census data, Maharashtra had the largest urban population. The next largest urban population was in Uttar Pradesh, which, despite being less urbanised in percentage terms than some smaller states, has a very large total population with many cities and towns. Tamil Nadu also had a substantial urban population and ranked closely after Uttar Pradesh. While states like West Bengal and cities like Delhi are highly urbanised, their absolute urban population sizes in 2001 were lower than those of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Thus, the correct pair is Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Start with the given information that Maharashtra had the largest urban population.Step 2: Recall that Uttar Pradesh has a very large total population and many urban centres, giving it a high absolute urban population.Step 3: Tamil Nadu has a high level of urbanisation and several major cities such as Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai, making its urban population large.Step 4: Compare this with Delhi and Punjab. Delhi is fully urban but is a small Union Territory in terms of area and total population, while Punjab has a smaller population than Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.Step 5: Haryana and Gujarat also have significant urban populations but do not exceed Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in 2001.Step 6: West Bengal and Delhi together do not match the combined urban population of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu when examining census figures.Step 7: Therefore, the correct pair coming after Maharashtra is Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Verification / Alternative check:
Exam oriented tables summarising urban population by state for the 2001 Census often rank states in order of absolute urban population. These tables place Maharashtra first, followed by Uttar Pradesh and then Tamil Nadu. Other states and Union Territories, including West Bengal and Delhi, appear lower in the ranking. This consistent ordering confirms that the pair Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is the correct choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Delhi and Punjab: Delhi has a very high urban share but a smaller total population, and Punjab does not have as large an urban population as Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu combined.

Haryana and Gujarat: Both are important industrial states but their urban populations in 2001 were below those of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

West Bengal and Delhi: West Bengal has a large urban population but when paired with Delhi, this combination still does not align with the ranking given by census figures that place Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu higher.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse urbanisation percentage with absolute urban population. A state with a higher percentage urban is not always the one with the largest number of urban residents. To avoid this confusion, it is important to remember specific rankings for total urban population and recognise that population heavy states like Uttar Pradesh can have very large urban populations even if their urban share is moderate.

Final Answer:
After Maharashtra, the states with the largest urban populations according to the 2001 Census were Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.