How many states are there in India?
India currently has 28 states and 8 Union Territories. India is a federal democratic country where powers are divided between the central government and state governments according to the Constitution of India. The states and Union Territories together form the administrative and political structure of the country.
The number of states and Union Territories has changed several times after independence because of:
Reorganization of states
Formation of new states
Administrative changes
Constitutional amendments
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| States | 28 |
| Union Territories | 8 |
A state in India is an administrative division with its own:
Elected government
Chief Minister
Legislative Assembly
Administrative powers
States have authority over subjects such as:
Police
Agriculture
Health
Local governance
A Union Territory (UT) is directly governed by the Central Government through an Administrator or Lieutenant Governor. Some Union Territories also have elected legislative assemblies.
| State | Capital |
|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | Amaravati |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
| Assam | Dispur |
| Bihar | Patna |
| Chhattisgarh | Raipur |
| Goa | Panaji |
| Gujarat | Gandhinagar |
| Haryana | Chandigarh |
| Himachal Pradesh | Shimla |
| Jharkhand | Ranchi |
| Karnataka | Bengaluru |
| Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal |
| Maharashtra | Mumbai |
| Manipur | Imphal |
| Meghalaya | Shillong |
| Mizoram | Aizawl |
| Nagaland | Kohima |
| Odisha | Bhubaneswar |
| Punjab | Chandigarh |
| Rajasthan | Jaipur |
| Sikkim | Gangtok |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai |
| Telangana | Hyderabad |
| Tripura | Agartala |
| Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun |
| West Bengal | Kolkata |
| Union Territory | Capital |
|---|---|
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Port Blair |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | Daman |
| Delhi (NCT) | New Delhi |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Srinagar (Summer), Jammu (Winter) |
| Ladakh | Leh |
| Lakshadweep | Kavaratti |
| Puducherry | Puducherry |
After independence, India reorganized states mainly on:
Linguistic basis
Administrative convenience
Cultural identity
One of the major changes occurred in:
1956 — States Reorganization Act
This reorganized state boundaries mainly based on languages.
Some relatively newer states include:
Chhattisgarh (2000)
Jharkhand (2000)
Uttarakhand (2000)
Telangana (2014)
| States | Union Territories |
|---|---|
| Have elected governments | Mostly controlled by Central Government |
| Greater administrative powers | Limited powers |
| Governed by Chief Minister | Governed by Administrator/LG |
States are important because they:
Maintain local administration
Implement government policies
Manage education and healthcare
Support regional development
Questions about Indian states and Union Territories are frequently asked in:
SSC exams
UPSC
Railway exams
Banking exams
State PCS exams
School GK tests
Students should regularly update knowledge because administrative changes can occur over time.
India’s system of states and Union Territories reflects its cultural diversity, regional identity, and democratic administrative structure.