How many states does India have?

The count last changed in 2019 and 2020, when the state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh — and Dadra and Nagar Haveli was merged with Daman and Diu.

The distinction between a state and a union territory is substantive. A state has an elected legislature with power over subjects on the State List: land, police, public health, agriculture, local government and state taxes. A union territory is administered by the Union through an appointed Administrator or Lieutenant Governor.

Three union territories are hybrids with their own legislatures — Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu & Kashmir — but with narrower powers than a state. Delhi notably does not control its own police, public order or land, which remain with the Union.

Article 3 allows Parliament to form new states, alter boundaries and change names by simple majority. The affected state legislature must be given the opportunity to express its views, but those views are not binding — a sharper difference from federations like the United States than most descriptions convey.

The map has been redrawn repeatedly: linguistic reorganisation in 1956, then Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand in 2000, Telangana in 2014, and Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. Demands for further states continue.

Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state — more populous than most countries — and Rajasthan the largest by area. Goa is the smallest state by area and Sikkim by population.

Practically, what matters is that stamp duty, rent law, police, electricity tariffs, ration cards and school admission all differ by state, while PAN, Aadhaar, income tax, EPFO and passports do not.