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India's union territories are run directly by the central government rather than elected state governments

the gist

India has states, which have their own elected governments, and union territories, which are governed directly by the central government. A union territory is administered by a lieutenant governor or administrator appointed by the President of India. Governments create them for reasons such as strategic importance, geography or history. Some, including Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry, have their own legislative assemblies, though the central government keeps significant authority, especially over police and law and order. India currently has eight union territories.

how it works

The Constitution sets out which areas are states and which are union territories. Union territories are administered by an appointee of the President, and some have elected assemblies that can make laws on certain matters.

so what

The arrangement shows how the Constitution balances local self-government with central control over sensitive regions. Changes to the status of these areas affect how millions of people are governed.

has this happened before?

Delhi gained an elected legislative assembly through the 69th Amendment in 1991, while in 2019 Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Both changes show that the status of these areas has been reshaped by constitutional amendment and central legislation.

Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

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