States and Union Territories 

Introduction

India is a Union of States, as declared under Article 1 of the Constitution. The territory of India includes:

• The territories of the States
• The Union Territories
• Any territory that may be acquired

As of 2025, India has:

• 28 States
• 8 Union Territories

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Constitutional Provisions

Article 1: Name and Territory of the Union

“India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”

Schedule 1

• Lists all the States and Union Territories and their territorial extent.

Part I (Articles 1–4)

• Deals with the Union and its territory
• Parliament has the power to:
  • Form new States
  • Alter names, boundaries, and areas of existing States (Article 3)

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States in India

Key Features:

• Have their own elected government, legislature, and High Court.
• Enjoy powers under the State List (Seventh Schedule).
• Executive headed by the Governor, legislative by State Legislature, and judiciary by the High Court.

Powers:

• States have autonomy under a quasi-federal system.
• Powers divided into:
  • Union List
  • State List
  • Concurrent List

Examples of States:

Assam, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala, etc.

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Union Territories (UTs)

Key Features:

• UTs are directly governed by the President of India through an Administrator or Lieutenant Governor.
• Do not have the same autonomy as States.
• Some UTs have legislatures, others do not.

UTs with Legislature:

1. Delhi (NCT)
2. Puducherry
3. Jammu and Kashmir (after reorganization in 2019)

Administration:

• Article 239: Every UT to be administered by the President through an Administrator.
• Laws in UTs are made by:
  • Parliament (for UTs without legislature)
  • UT Legislative Assembly + Parliament override (for UTs with legislature)

Examples of UTs:

• Andaman & Nicobar Islands
• Chandigarh
• Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
• Lakshadweep
• Ladakh
• Delhi (NCT)
• Puducherry
• Jammu & Kashmir

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Formation and Reorganization of States and UTs

Based on Article 3:

Parliament may:

• Form a new State by:
  • Separation from existing State
  • Merger of two or more States
• Alter boundaries, names, or areas of States

Major Reorganizations:

• 1956: State Reorganisation Act (based on linguistic lines)
• 2000: Creation of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand
• 2014: Telangana created from Andhra Pradesh
• 2019: Jammu & Kashmir bifurcated into two UTs (J&K and Ladakh)

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Key Differences Between States and UTs

Feature	States	Union Territories
Constitutional Status	Full constitutional status	Partial or limited status
Executive Head	Governor	Administrator / Lieutenant Governor
Legislature	Yes	Only in Delhi, Puducherry, J&K
Control	Largely autonomous	Directly controlled by Union Govt
Law-Making Power	Can make laws on State List	Parliament holds primary power

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Recent Developments

1. Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019
   • State bifurcated into 2 UTs: J&K (with legislature) and Ladakh (without).
2. Merger of UTs in 2020
   • Dadra and Nagar Haveli merged with Daman and Diu to form one UT.
3. Special Status Issues
   • Article 370 (abrogated in 2019) gave special status to J&K.

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Conclusion

The distinction between States and Union Territories reflects India’s flexible federal structure. While States enjoy significant autonomy, Union Territories provide the central government with administrative control in strategic or sensitive regions. The power to reorganize States and UTs ensures that the constitutional framework remains adaptable to changing political, social, and economic realities.

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