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The prolonged rule of British Empire came to an end in 1947. However, the Portugal refused to withdraw from the territories of Goa, Diu and Daman, which they ruled since 16the Century. The people of Goa were suppressed by Portuguese misrule and they were denied of basic civil rights to them, Portuguese carried out coerced religious conversions as well.
Initially, the Government of India, tried to convince the Portuguese to vacate these territories and consider the popular movements of local people. The Situation became worse in 1955 when a group Goan and Indian protesters staging a liberation march were shot at and killed by the Portuguese. Nehru government responded by instituting a blockade around Goa, however this was bypassed by the Portuguese by adopting the air route to open trade with Pakistan and Srilanka. Eventually on 18 December 1961, under operation Vijay, the Indian troops crossed the border into Goa and after two days of action the Portuguese surrendered on 19 December
After this liberation, another thorny issue emerged in Goa. The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party [MGP] desired that Goa should be merged with Maharashtra.
Another faction of Goans wanted to retain their separate identity & their culture essentially their Konkani language. The faction got their support from United Goan Party (UGP). In 1967, Government of India initiated a move to resolve this issue. It undertook an "Opinion Poll" in Goa whether it should be merged with Maharashtra or remains separate. This was the only occasion where this kind of referendum like process was undertaken to ascertain people’s desire on a particular subject. The overwhelming majority of the people favored Goa to remain, separate from Maharashtra. For a longer time, Goa remained a Union Territory. Finally Goa became a state of the Indian Union in 1987.