---
title: "States and Capitals of India 2026: 28 States, 8 UTs and Key Facts"
url: https://anantamias.com/rajya-rajdhani/
date: 2026-04-22
modified: 2026-04-22
author: "Gaurav Tiwari"
description: "Complete list of Indian states and capitals (rajya rajdhani) in 2026: 28 states, 8 union territories, official languages, CMs and formation dates for UPSC prep."
categories:
  - "Current affairs"
image: https://r2.anantamias.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rajya-rajdhani-featured-1024x576.jpg
word_count: 2172
---

# States and Capitals of India 2026: 28 States, 8 UTs and Key Facts

## Introduction

India is a Union of States. The phrase rajya rajdhani, literally "state capital", is the most searched Hindi term for the administrative map every UPSC aspirant must internalise. As of 2026 the Republic comprises 28 States and 8 Union Territories, each with its own capital, legal personality, legislature (in most cases), and a distinct linguistic, cultural and geographical identity. Memorising this map is not rote work for prelims alone. It anchors questions in polity, geography, economy and current affairs because every ministry scheme, Finance Commission devolution formula, river dispute or tribal rights case is grounded in a particular state.

This article gives you the authoritative 2026 snapshot of all 28 states and 8 UTs, their capitals, official languages, dates of formation and the constitutional provisions that keep the federal architecture alive. It also covers the reorganisation history from 1956 to the 2019 Jammu and Kashmir bifurcation and the 2020 merger of Dadra and Nagar Haveli with Daman and Diu, so you can answer both prelims factoids and mains questions on Indian federalism with confidence.

![States and Capitals of India 2026: 28 States, 8 UTs and Key Facts](https://r2.anantamias.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rajya-rajdhani-content-1.jpg)

## Quick Facts at a Glance

| Indicator | Value (2026) |
| --------- | ------------ |
| Number of States | 28 |
| Number of Union Territories | 8 |
| Largest state by area | Rajasthan (342,239 sq km) |
| Smallest state by area | Goa (3,702 sq km) |
| Most populous state (Census 2011) | Uttar Pradesh (19.98 crore) |
| Least populous state | Sikkim (6.1 lakh) |
| Largest UT by area | Ladakh |
| Smallest UT by area | Lakshadweep (32 sq km) |
| Newest state | Telangana (2 June 2014) |
| Newest UTs | Ladakh and J&K (31 Oct 2019); merged DNH-DD (26 Jan 2020) |
| Constitutional basis | Article 1, First Schedule, Articles 2 to 4 |

## Background and Historical Context

When the Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, India was a patchwork of Part A, B, C and D states inherited from British provinces and princely states. The **States Reorganisation Commission (SRC)** chaired by Fazl Ali, with K. M. Panikkar and H. N. Kunzru, submitted its report in 1955. The resulting **States Reorganisation Act, 1956** redrew the political map along linguistic lines and created 14 states and 6 union territories. Andhra State, carved out in 1953 after the fast-unto-death of Potti Sriramulu, had already set the precedent for linguistic reorganisation.

The next four decades saw steady creation of new states. Gujarat and Maharashtra split from the bilingual Bombay State in 1960. Nagaland was created in 1963. Haryana was separated from Punjab in 1966 on the recommendation of the Shah Commission. The northeastern map was rationalised by the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act 1971, which gave Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura full statehood in 1972. Sikkim became the 22nd state by the 36th Constitutional Amendment in 1975. Goa attained statehood in 1987, followed by Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand in November 2000. Telangana, born out of a prolonged agitation, became the 29th state on 2 June 2014.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, operative from 31 October 2019, abrogated Article 370 in its then-existing form and split the erstwhile state into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir (with legislature) and Ladakh (without legislature). Simultaneously, the merger of Dadra and Nagar Haveli with Daman and Diu into a single UT took effect on 26 January 2020, bringing the count to 28 states and 8 UTs, where it stands in 2026.

## Key Features of the Indian Federal Map

### The 28 States and Their Capitals

The following table lists every state with its capital, official language and year of formation. Where a state has a separate judicial or summer capital, it is noted.

| # | State | Capital | Official Language | Formed |
| --- | ----- | ------- | ----------------- | ------ |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | Amaravati (de facto Visakhapatnam executive) | Telugu | 1953 / 2014 |
| 2 | Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar | English | 1987 |
| 3 | Assam | Dispur | Assamese | 1950 |
| 4 | Bihar | Patna | Hindi | 1950 |
| 5 | Chhattisgarh | Raipur | Hindi | 2000 |
| 6 | Goa | Panaji | Konkani | 1987 |
| 7 | Gujarat | Gandhinagar | Gujarati | 1960 |
| 8 | Haryana | Chandigarh | Hindi | 1966 |
| 9 | Himachal Pradesh | Shimla | Hindi | 1971 |
| 10 | Jharkhand | Ranchi | Hindi | 2000 |
| 11 | Karnataka | Bengaluru | Kannada | 1956 |
| 12 | Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram | Malayalam | 1956 |
| 13 | Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal | Hindi | 1956 |
| 14 | Maharashtra | Mumbai | Marathi | 1960 |
| 15 | Manipur | Imphal | Meitei (Manipuri) | 1972 |
| 16 | Meghalaya | Shillong | English | 1972 |
| 17 | Mizoram | Aizawl | Mizo, English | 1987 |
| 18 | Nagaland | Kohima | English | 1963 |
| 19 | Odisha | Bhubaneswar | Odia | 1950 |
| 20 | Punjab | Chandigarh | Punjabi | 1966 |
| 21 | Rajasthan | Jaipur | Hindi | 1956 |
| 22 | Sikkim | Gangtok | Nepali | 1975 |
| 23 | Tamil Nadu | Chennai | Tamil | 1956 |
| 24 | Telangana | Hyderabad | Telugu, Urdu | 2014 |
| 25 | Tripura | Agartala | Bengali, Kokborok | 1972 |
| 26 | Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow | Hindi | 1950 |
| 27 | Uttarakhand | Dehradun (winter), Gairsain (summer) | Hindi, Sanskrit | 2000 |
| 28 | West Bengal | Kolkata | Bengali | 1950 |

### The 8 Union Territories

| # | Union Territory | Capital | Legislature | Notes |
| --- | --------------- | ------- | ----------- | ----- |
| 1 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram) | No | Strategic Bay of Bengal archipelago |
| 2 | Chandigarh | Chandigarh | No | Shared capital of Punjab and Haryana |
| 3 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | Daman | No | Merged 26 January 2020 |
| 4 | Delhi (NCT) | New Delhi | Yes | National Capital Territory |
| 5 | Jammu and Kashmir | Srinagar (summer), Jammu (winter) | Yes | UT from 31 October 2019 |
| 6 | Ladakh | Leh | No | Carved out on 31 October 2019 |
| 7 | Lakshadweep | Kavaratti | No | Smallest UT by area |
| 8 | Puducherry | Puducherry | Yes | Former French enclaves |

### Constitutional Framework

Article 1 of the Constitution declares India as a "Union of States" and lists them in the First Schedule. Article 2 empowers Parliament to admit new states. Article 3 allows Parliament to alter the area, boundary or name of any existing state by a simple majority, after the President refers the bill to the concerned state legislature for its views. **Article 4** clarifies that such laws are not treated as constitutional amendments. This is why the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 and Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 did not require a two-thirds majority.

![States and Capitals of India 2026: 28 States, 8 UTs and Key Facts](https://r2.anantamias.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rajya-rajdhani-content-2.png)

## Significance for UPSC and General Knowledge

- Prelims routinely asks about the newest state (Telangana, 2014) and the most recent UT changes (Ladakh, J&K, merged DNH-DD).

- GS1 mains questions on "linguistic reorganisation of states" demand knowledge of the SRC (1953-56) and the Fazl Ali report.

- GS2 polity questions on federalism turn on Articles 1 to 4, Article 239AA for Delhi, and the Puducherry special provisions.

- GS3 economy questions on Finance Commission devolution, Terms of Reference, and horizontal formulas cite state population and area.

- Current affairs questions on inter-state disputes (Krishna, Cauvery, Mahanadi, Belagavi) presume fluent map knowledge.

- Interview and essay papers on cooperative federalism, NITI Aayog Governing Council and GST Council rely on accurate state identity.

## Detailed Analysis: State-wise Distribution and Federal Trends

The 28 states are not uniform in size or weight. The top five by population (UP, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh) together account for nearly half of India's 1.4 billion people, and consequently over half the Lok Sabha seats. The Finance Commission devolution formula, currently governed by the 15th Finance Commission recommendations for 2021-26, assigns 45 per cent weight to income distance, 15 per cent each to population (2011) and area, 12.5 per cent to demographic performance, 10 per cent to forest and ecology, and 2.5 per cent to tax and fiscal efforts. Smaller hill states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and all northeastern states benefit from the Special Category assistance framework continued in spirit through centrally sponsored schemes, even though the formal Special Category Status was phased out after the 14th Finance Commission.

Geographically the states cluster into six broad regions. **Northern India** (J&K, HP, Punjab, Haryana, UP, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Delhi) sits in the Indo-Gangetic plain and Himalayan belt. **Western India** (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa) faces the Arabian Sea and hosts most of India's industrial and port capacity. **Southern India** (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Telangana, Puducherry) leads on human development indicators and services exports. **Eastern India** (Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand) has India's richest mineral belt. **Central India** (MP, Chhattisgarh) holds most of the country's forest cover. **Northeastern India** (the Seven Sisters plus Sikkim) occupies 8 per cent of land but only 3.8 per cent of population, with strategic borders on Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Linguistically, the Eighth Schedule currently lists 22 scheduled languages. Hindi is the official language of the Union and 10 states. Four Dravidian languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam) dominate the south. Indo-Aryan languages other than Hindi (Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Odia, Assamese) anchor another nine states. Tribal and Tibeto-Burman languages define the northeast.

![States and Capitals of India 2026: 28 States, 8 UTs and Key Facts](https://r2.anantamias.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wiki-img-16.png)Image: Wikipedia. [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_union_territories_of_India).

## Comparative Perspective

India's three-tier federal design with states and UTs is often compared with the United States, Canada and Australia. The table below captures the structural differences.

| Feature | India | United States | Germany |
| ------- | ----- | ------------- | ------- |
| Constituent units | 28 states + 8 UTs | 50 states + DC + territories | 16 Länder |
| Residuary powers | Union (Article 248) | States (10th Amendment) | Länder |
| Second chamber | Rajya Sabha (state representation, unequal) | Senate (2 per state, equal) | Bundesrat (weighted) |
| Power to redraw boundaries | Parliament by simple majority (Art 3) | Requires state consent | Requires Länder referendum |
| Official languages | 22 scheduled + Hindi/English at Union | English (de facto) | German |
| Emergency centralisation | Strong (Art 352, 356, 360) | Limited | Limited |

India therefore qualifies, in K. C. Wheare's phrase, as a "quasi-federal" system, with the balance tilted towards the Union especially in fiscal and emergency contexts.

## Challenges and Criticisms

The Indian federal map is not settled. Demands for statehood continue from Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Bodoland in Assam, Gorkhaland in West Bengal, Bundelkhand across UP-MP, Harit Pradesh in UP, and a separate Kukiland in Manipur after the 2023 ethnic violence. Critics argue that small states have better administrative responsiveness, citing the post-2000 growth performance of Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh; others counter that repeated bifurcation creates fiscal stress, capital-city disputes (as in Andhra Pradesh's Amaravati-Visakhapatnam-Kurnool three-capital controversy) and duplicate bureaucracies.

Federal tensions also surface in the use of Article 356, Governor's discretionary powers, All India Services cadre deputations and centrally sponsored scheme conditionalities. The Sarkaria Commission (1988), Punchhi Commission (2010) and the Second Administrative Reforms Commission recommended restraint on Article 356, fiscal autonomy and consultation through the Inter-State Council. Implementation remains uneven and is a recurring GS2 mains theme.

## Prelims Pointers

- India has 28 states and 8 UTs as of 2026.

- The States Reorganisation Act 1956 created 14 states and 6 UTs on linguistic basis.

- Andhra State (1953) was the first linguistically reorganised state.

- Telangana, formed on 2 June 2014, is the 29th state created (28th currently).

- Jammu and Kashmir became a UT on 31 October 2019; so did Ladakh.

- Dadra and Nagar Haveli merged with Daman and Diu on 26 January 2020.

- Article 1 calls India a "Union of States"; Article 3 allows Parliament to alter state boundaries.

- Uttarakhand has two capitals: Dehradun (winter) and Gairsain (summer).

- Jammu and Kashmir UT has Srinagar (summer) and Jammu (winter) as dual capitals.

- Chandigarh is the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana.

- Sri Vijaya Puram is the renamed capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (formerly Port Blair).

- Rajasthan is the largest state by area; Goa is the smallest.

## Mains Practice Questions

- "The linguistic reorganisation of states in India was a necessary but incomplete exercise." Critically examine. (250 words)

- Bring out SRC 1953-55 context and the Fazl Ali recommendations.

- Evaluate gains in democratic participation and administrative efficiency.

- Discuss residual issues: Belagavi, three-language formula, Bodoland and Gorkhaland.

- Discuss the constitutional provisions enabling Parliament to create new states and evaluate whether frequent reorganisation strengthens or weakens Indian federalism. (250 words)

- Explain Articles 2, 3 and 4 and the simple majority route.

- Use examples: Telangana (2014), J&K bifurcation (2019), DNH-DD merger (2020).

- Balance benefits (administrative proximity) against costs (capital disputes, fiscal stress).

## Conclusion

The rajya rajdhani map is the operational backbone of Indian democracy. Every election, every scheme, every inter-state dispute plays out against the 28 states and 8 UTs notified in the First Schedule. The numbers may look static, but the underlying process (Article 3, SRC principles, linguistic and administrative pragmatism) is dynamic and contested.

For the UPSC aspirant the task is twofold. First, hold the factual map, capitals, languages and formation dates in long-term memory for prelims. Second, link those facts to the deeper questions of federalism, fiscal devolution, identity politics and national integration that define mains and interview performance. The answer begins with knowing your states, and it never really ends there.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is rajya rajdhani?

Rajya rajdhani is the Hindi term for state capital, referring to the administrative headquarters of each Indian state or union territory. As of 2026 India has 28 state capitals and 8 union territory capitals, each hosting the legislature, high court bench or government secretariat of that region.

### How many states and union territories does India have in 2026?

India has 28 states and 8 union territories as of 2026. This structure came into effect after the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 and the merger of Dadra and Nagar Haveli with Daman and Diu on 26 January 2020.

### Why is the states and capitals list important for UPSC?

The list is the backbone of prelims static questions on polity and geography. It also supports GS2 mains essays on federalism, GS3 on fiscal devolution and inter-state river disputes, and current-affairs items on Governor, Article 356 and NITI Aayog Governing Council meetings.

### Which was the most recent state to be created in India?

Telangana, carved out of Andhra Pradesh on 2 June 2014, is the most recent state. It was the 29th state at the time, but with the 2019 conversion of Jammu and Kashmir into a union territory the total state count is 28.

### How is rajya rajdhani related to Article 3 of the Constitution?

Article 3 empowers Parliament to create new states, alter boundaries or change names by a simple majority law after the President consults the affected state legislature. Every new capital city, including Amaravati, Ranchi and Dehradun, owes its status to an Article 3 exercise.

### Which states have more than one capital?

Uttarakhand has two capitals: Dehradun (winter) and Gairsain (summer). Jammu and Kashmir UT alternates between Srinagar (summer) and Jammu (winter). Andhra Pradesh continues to debate a three-capital model with Amaravati (legislative), Visakhapatnam (executive) and Kurnool (judicial).

### What is the difference between a state and a union territory?

A state has its own elected government with original powers under the State List. A union territory is administered by the President through a Lieutenant Governor or Administrator. Delhi, Puducherry and J&K are UTs with legislatures; the other five UTs are without legislature.

### Which is the largest state and which is the smallest in India?

Rajasthan at 342,239 square kilometres is the largest state by area, while Goa at 3,702 square kilometres is the smallest. By population (Census 2011) Uttar Pradesh with 19.98 crore is the largest and Sikkim with 6.1 lakh is the smallest.