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Punjab was annexed by the British in 1849 only after the death of its powerful Sikh ruler. Who was this ruler whose presence had held back the Company for decades?

ATipu Sultan
BMaharaja Ranjit Singh
CMir Jafar
DHyder Ali
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839) built a powerful Sikh kingdom in Punjab and his presence deterred British annexation. Only after his death in 1839 did the Company push north. Two prolonged Anglo-Sikh wars followed, and Punjab was finally annexed in 1849 — completing British control over almost the entire subcontinent (alongside the Doctrine of Lapse annexations that followed).
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