List of states in India

India is the second populous country in the world and the seventh-largest country globally in the term of land. India lies in the southern region of Asia. In this article, we will see the list of states present in India.

States in India

As India is one of the largest countries in the world, it becomes very difficult to manage such a large county from a single place. Therefore, the constitution of India provides the right to the central government to create new states in the Indian Political map whenever it feels suitable.

Let's see the number of total states (or Union Territories) in India. In this article, we will not only know about the total number of states or union territories present in India; we will also look at the brief history of the state's formation in India.

Current number of states/UTs in India

As of now, the total number of states is 28, and there are a total of 8 union territories in India. Each state and union territory of India has a legislative, administrative, and judicial capital. Some states have three different capitals for all three functionalities, and some states have a single capital in which all the three listed functions, i.e., legislative, administrative, and judicial, are conducted.

Every state and union territory of India is ruled by a separate chief minister elected through the legislative council's poll election.

History of states in India

Here, we have divided the history of the states of India into two categories, i.e., Pre-independence and Post-independence. We have further divided the post-independence category into two sub-categories, i.e., 1947-1950 & 1951-till now.

Pre-independence history of states:

The Indian subcontinent is not what it looks like today on its political map. It was ruled by different people of many different ethical groups through its history from the ancient period. Each of these rulers of India instituted their administrative policies for the administrative division in their ruled region.

During the British ruling time, they have made changes in the preceded administrative structure formed by the Mughals. They divided India into many provinces that were also called Presidencies at that time. The governors of the British directly ruled these presidencies or provinces that the Britishers formed.

Also, some princely states were present in India's sub-region at the time of the British Raj. The British government does not directly control these princely states, but they were ruled by a Prince or king loyal to the British government. The British government held suzerainty (de facto sovereignty) over these princely states.

The post-independence history of states:

1. From 1947 to 1950: During the period of 1947-50, the following changes came into the states of India:

The states that the governors of India previously controlled were now directly controlling Independent India, such as Hyderabad, Mysore, Bilaspur, and Bhopal.

At the time of British raj, the Princely states of India were also merged into the existing provinces in the political region of independent India.

Also, many other states are now organized into the new provinces or states such as Himachal Pradesh, Vindhya Bharat, Madhya Bharat, and Rajasthan, made up of multiple small princely states.

2. Since 1951 to present: The recognizing of states in India was first seen in India in the period of 1951-56. Pandit Jawal Lal Nehru, the first PM of Independent India, never favored creating separate states according to the culture of language of the people of that region. But many protests were held during 1951-1956 that led him and his government to change their mind.

Andhra Pradesh was the first state that was created from the Telegu-speaking districts of the northern region of Madras state (at that time). A lady sat on Fast until death to support the protest for the formation of Andhra Pradesh, and she died while fasting, which forced the government to listen to their demands, and that's how Andhra Pradesh (the first state-based of language and culture) was created.

After the formation of Andhra Pradesh, many linguistic states separated into two new different linguistic states, and other new states were also created, and that's how the political map of India has changed over time. India has formed 28 states and eight union territories since the new changes began in 1956.

List of states and UTs of India:

Following is a list providing you all the states & UTs with their capital. Additionally, we are also mentioning the names of the chief minister of all the states & Union Territories as of now in the list.

Look at the following list for the complete details of Indian states and UTs with their capital and Chief minister also: