Union territory

Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own state government systems. Unlike states, Union Territories do not have their own full-fledged government but are administered by a Lieutenant governor or Administrator appointed by the President of India.

Union Territories are created for various reasons, including geographical importance, strategic necessity or historical factors. These areas are under the control of the central government to ensure uniformity in governance across the country. Some Union Territories, such as Delhi (National Capital Territory) and Puducherry, have been granted special status and are allowed to have their own legislative assemblies, which can pass laws on certain matters, though the central government still retains significant authority.

The distinction between states and Union territories is defined in the Constitution of India. The Constitution designed Union Territories to manage areas that require more direct central control or have specific administrative needs. This ensures that regions like Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir remain directly controlled by the central government.

Currently, India has several Union Territories including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Delhi, Puducherry, Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

When the Constitution of India was adopted in 1949, the Indian federal structure included:

After the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, Part C and Part D states were combined into a single category of "Union territory". Due to various other reorganisations, only 6 union territories remained:

By the early 1970s, Manipur, Tripura, and Himachal Pradesh had become full-fledged states, and Chandigarh became a union territory. Another three (Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Puducherry) were formed from acquired territories that were formerly part of Portuguese India and French India.

In August 2019, the Parliament of India passed Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. The act contains provisions to reconstitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, one to be eponymously called Jammu and Kashmir, and the other Ladakh on 31 October 2019.