The constitutional power to create new states and union territories in India is solely reserved with theParliament of India, which can do so by announcing new states/union territories, separating territory from an existing state or merging two or more states/union territories or parts of them.^[1] As of 2024^[update], there are 28states and eightunion territories in India.^[2]

There have been demands to create several new states and union territories.^[3] However, demanding a separate state from the administration ofIndian union is punishable undersecession law in India.^[4]

Beforeindependence, India was divided intoBritish-administered provinces and nominally autonomousprincely states, governed by the British administration. AfterIndian Independence in 1947, the provinces became part of theIndian Union and the princely states whoacceded were absorbed into the Union.^[5] In 1950, after the adoption of theConstitution of India, these became part of theRepublic of India with the constitution classifying the states into four categories.^[6]

During the 1950–1956 period, small changes were made to state boundaries with Bilaspur merging with Himachal Pradesh on 1 July 1954 andChandernagore, a formerenclave ofFrench India incorporated intoWest Bengal in 1955.^[7] In 1953,Andhra state was split fromMadras state, following the death ofPotti Sriramulu and the subsequent riots, demanding a separate state for theTelugus.^[8] In 1954,French enclaves ofPondichéry,Karikal,Yanaon andMahé were transferred to India.^[7] In 1956, theStates Reorganisation Act was passed, which re-organized the country into 14states ofAndhra Pradesh,Assam,Bihar,Bombay,Jammu and Kashmir,Kerala,Madhya Pradesh,Madras,Mysore,Orissa,Punjab,Rajasthan,Uttar Pradesh,West Bengal and sixunion territories ofAndaman and Nicobar Islands,Delhi,Manipur,Tripura,Himachal Pradesh,Laccadive, Minicoy & Amindivi Islands.^[9]

Bombay state was split intoGujarat andMaharashtra on 1 May 1960 by the Bombay Reorganisation Act.^[10]Goa, Daman and Diu was established as a union territory, following theliberation of Goa fromPortuguese in 1961.^[7] In 1961, duringBengali Language Movement, protests erupted demanding a separateBarak state.^[11]Pondicherry was established as a union territory.^[7]In 1963,Naga people of undivided Assam'sNaga hills demanded for a separateNagaland state, resulting in clashes with the statehood granted on 1 December 1963.^[12] In 1966, protests erupted demanding a separate Mizo state which resulted in the bombing ofAizawl.^[13][14] ThePunjabi Suba movement, which sought a separate Punjabi-speaking state, resulted in thePunjab Reorganisation Act of 1966, which created the state ofHaryana and the union territory ofChandigarh with the transfer of the northern districts of Punjab to Himachal Pradesh.^[15][16][17]

Madras state was renamed asTamil Nadu in 1969.^[18] Himachal Pradesh was elevated to statehood in 1970.^[7] The north-eastern states of Manipur,Meghalaya andTripura were established in January 1972.^[19] Mysore State was renamedKarnataka in 1973. The Kingdom ofSikkim joined the Indian Union as a state on 26 April 1975.^[20] In February 1987,Arunachal Pradesh andMizoram were established as new states.^[19] In May 1987,Goa achieved statehood with the northernexclaves ofDaman and Diu becoming a separate union territory.^[7] TheGorkhaland movement during 1986–88, demanding a separate state resulted in violtent clashes, encounters and arrests.^[21]

In 2000, three new states were created:Chhattisgarh from Madhya Pradesh,Uttaranchal fromUttar Pradesh andJharkhand from Bihar.^[7] In 2006, Pondicherry was renamed as Puducherry and Uttaranchal became Uttarakhand followed by Orissa being renamed as Odisha in 2011.^[7] There have been other movements such as theBodoland andKarbiland in Assam which have resulted in violence.^[22][23] In June 2014,Telangana was separated from Andhra Pradesh as the 29th state of the union, following theTelangana movement.^[24] On 31 October 2019, the state ofJammu and Kashmir was split into two new union territories ofJammu and Kashmir andLadakh.^[25] On 26 January 2020, theUnion Territory of Daman and Diu and theUnion Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli were merged into a single union territory ofUnion Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.^[26]

There have been several demands in the past and the present for the creation of new states and union territories.^[27]

Proposed	State/UT	District(s)	Image	Notes
Ahomland	Assam	Biswanath,Darrang,Lakhimpur,Sivasagar,Sonitpur,Udalguri		Various organizations inUpper Assam have been demanding a separate Ahomland state since 1967.[28] In 2023, TAI Ahom Yuba Parishad Assam (TAYPA) organized a protest at demanding a separate state.[29]
Awadh	Uttar Pradesh	Ambedkar Nagar,Bahraich,Balrampur,Barabanki,Basti,Siddharth Nagar,Ayodhya,Gonda,Lakhimpur Kheri,Sitapur,Hardoi,Lucknow,Pratapgarh,Raebareli,Amethi,Shravasti,Jaunpur,Mirzapur,Bhadohi,Sultanpur,Unnao,Fatehpur,Kaushambi,Prayagraj,Kanpur,Kanpur Dehat,Etawah,Auraiya,Kannauj		The proposed state would consist ofAwadhi-speaking districts of central Uttar Pradesh, consisting of an area of 75,000 km2 (29,000 sq mi) and a population of 50 million.[30]
Bagelkhand	Madhya Pradesh,Uttar Pradesh	Anuppur,Chitrakoot,Rewa,Satna,Shahdol,Sidhi,Singrauli,Umaria		Bagelkhand region was named after theVaghela Rajput kings in the 14th century and was part of theBagelkhand Agency.[31]
Barak State	Assam,Manipur	Cachar,Dima Hasao,Hailakandi,Hojai,Jiribam,Karimganj		TheBengali people ofAssam have demanded a separate state for themselves in theBarak Valley and its neighbouring contiguous Bengali areas, withSilchar as the capital.[32][33]
Bhil Pradesh	Chhattisgarh,Gujarat,Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh,Rajasthan	Dhar,Jhabua,Khargone,Ratlam and parts of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan		TheBhil people have demanded the establishment of a separate state of Bhil Pradesh with the districts consisting of majorityBhili speakers.[34][35] Political parties have raised the demand for separate state as recently as in 2023.[36]
Bhojpur	Bihar,Uttar Pradesh	Azamgarh,Ballia,Basti,Bhojpur,Buxar,Chandauli,Deoria,Ghazipur,Gopalganj,Gorakhpur,Kaimur,Kushinagar,Maharajganj,Mau,Rohtas,Saran,Siwan,Sant Kabir Nagar,Sidharthanagar,Varanasi		There have been demands for a separate state, comprising theBhojpuri-speaking districts of western Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.[37][38]
Bodoland	Assam	Baksa,Chirang,Kokrajhar,Udalguri		There have been demands for a separateBodoland Territorial Region for theBodo people.[39] The agitations led to the creation ofBodoland Territorial Council, an entity subordinate to the government of Assam, governing four districts covering 3,082 Bodo-majority villages.[40]
Braj Pradesh	Uttar Pradesh	Agra,Aligarh,Auraiya,Etawah,Farrukhabad,Mathura district		There is a demand for the creation of a separate state of Braj Pradesh, consisting of the historicalBraj region with the speakers ofBraj Bhasha.[41]
Bundelkhand	Madhya Pradesh,Uttar Pradesh	Banda,Chhatarpur,Chitrakoot,Damoh,Datia,Gwalior,Hamirpur,Jhansi,Lalitpur,Urai,Jalon,Mahoba,Panna,Sagar,Shivpuri,Tikamgarh		Since the early 1960s, there has been a movement for establishing a Bundelkhand state for promoting the development of the region in the central part of India, which being rich in minerals, is underdeveloped and underrepresented in politics.[42][43] In 2011, theGovernment of Uttar Pradesh proposed the creation of Bundelkhand from seven districts of Uttar Pradesh, withAllahabad as the capital while organisations such asBundelkhand Mukti Morcha demanded its formulation, along with the inclusion of six other districts from Madhya Pradesh.[44] Various political parties have promised the creation of a separate state of Bundelkhand over the years.[45][46]
Chakmaland	Mizoram	Chakma district council ofLawngtlai,Tlabung,Mamit		Chakmaland is a proposed union territory for the predominantlyBuddhistChakma people in western Mizoram. Chakmas have been demanding to convert the existingChakma Autonomous District Council and areas ofTlabung in Mizoram into a union territory.[47] The Chakma people have faced discrimination by the predominantlyChristianMizo people, which has led to claims for a separate region.[48]
Delhi	Delhi	Central Delhi,East Delhi,New Delhi,North Delhi,North East Delhi,North West Delhi,Shahdara,South Delhi,South East Delhi,South West Delhi,West Delhi		The political administration of Delhi more closely resembles that of a state than a union territory, with its ownlegislature headed by aChief Minister. Delhi is jointly administered by the union government and the local government of Delhi. The government introduced a bill in Parliament in 2003 to grant full statehood, which was not passed. There have been renewed demands to grant statehood to Delhi.[49]
Dimaraji	Assam,Nagaland	Cachar,Dima Hasao,Dimapur,Hojai,Karbi Anglong,Nagaon		TheDimasa people of northeast India have been demanding a separate state called Dimaland.[50]
Frontier Nagaland	Nagaland	Kiphire,Longleng,Mon,Noklak,Shamtor,Tuensang		Eastern Nagaland People's Organization (ENPO) has demanded a separate state for frontier districts of Nagaland, inhabited by the tribes ofKonyak,Khiamniungan,Chang,Sangtam,Tikhir,Phom andYimkhiung.[51][52]
Garoland	Meghalaya	East Garo Hills,North Garo Hills,South West Garo Hills,South Garo Hills,West Garo Hills		Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) is one of the three Autonomous councils within Meghalaya and theGaro National Council is a political party which has demanded a separate state forGaro.[53]
Gorkhaland	West Bengal	Darjeeling,Kalimpong		Gorkhaland movement has demanded a separate state covering the areas inhabited by theNepali speaking ethnicIndian Gorkha people in northern West Bengal.[54] The demand for a separate administrative region has existed since 1907, when the Hillmen's Association of Darjeeling submitted a memorandum to theMorley-Minto reforms committee.[55] After Indian independence,Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL), a political party from the region demanded greater identity for the Gorkha ethnic group and economic freedom for the community. The movement for a separate state gained momentum during the 1980s, when a violent agitation was carried out by theGorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) led bySubhash Ghising. The agitation ultimately led to the establishment of a semi-autonomous body ofDarjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988.[56] In 2008,Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) raised the demand for a separate state again and in 2011, the GJM signed an agreement with the state and central governments for the formation of theGorkhaland Territorial Administration, a semi-autonomous body that replaced the DGHC in the Darjeeling hills.[57][58] On 28 March 2022, GJM permanently dropped its Gorkhaland statehood demand, instead seeking political solution within West Bengal.[59]
Gondwana	Chhattisgarh,Madhya Pradesh	Balaghat,Chinndwara,Dindori,Mandla,Seoni		A demand for a state of Gondwana exists from theMahakoshal region of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh with aGondi majority.[60] The Gondwana Gantantra party (GGP) was established in 1991, with the objective to struggle for the creation of a separate Gondwana State comprising regions that were ruled by Gondis.[61]
Greater Punjab	Chandigarh,Haryana,Himachal Pradesh,Punjab,Rajasthan	Ambala,Chandigarh,Fatehabad, Hanumangarh,Kangra,Karnal,Kurukshetra,Sirsa,Solan,Sri Ganganagar,Una and alldistricts of Punjab		There have been demands raised byAkali Dal to merge the neighbouringPunjabi-speaking areas of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan to Punjab.[62][63]
Harit Pradesh	Uttar Pradesh	Agra,Aligarh,Auraiya,Bareilly,Etawah,Farrukhabad,Meerut,Moradabad,Saharanpur		Harit Pradesh is a proposed state from six divisions of Uttar Pradesh withMeerut as the capital with various political parties having supported the same.[64]
Jammu	Jammu and Kashmir	Jammu,Doda,Kathua,Kishtwar,Poonch,Rajouri,Ramban,Reasi,Samba,Udhampur		There have been claims to split the existing union territory into two. In 2020,IkkJutt Jammu was launched and demanded that theJammu Division should be separated and given statehood.[65]
Jungle Mahal	West Bengal	Bankura,Birbhum,Jhargram,Paschim Medinipur,Purbo Medinipur,Purulia		In 2021, there were calls from aMember of Parliament of theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the creation of a Junglemahal state from West Bengal, claiming underdevelopment and that the demands of employment and development for locals could only be met if it gets statehood.[66] However, the state unit of the BJP distanced itself from the demand, officially commented that they are against division and theTrinamool Congress filed a complaint against the same.[67][68]
Kamtapur	Assam,West Bengal	Cooch Behar,Darjeeling,Dhubri,Goalpara,Jalpaiguri,Kamrup		Kamtapur lies in the northern part of West Bengal and the proposed state consists of the six districts in the region.[69][70]
Karbiland	Assam	Karbi Anglong,West Karbi Anglong		Requests for a separate state forKarbi people have been raised by several organisations over the years with violent protests in July 2013.[71]
Khasiland	Meghalaya	East Jaintia Hills,East Khasi Hills,Eastern West Khasi Hills,Ri Bhoi,South West Khasi Hills,West Khasi Hills,West Jaintia Hills		Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP), a regional political party has demanded to bifurcate Meghalaya to create a separate state for theKhasi people while other parties including theUnited Democratic Party has opposed the demand.[72][73]
Kashmir	Jammu and Kashmir	Anantnag,Baramulla,Budgam,Bandipore,Ganderbal,Kupwara,Kulgam,Pulwama,Shopian,Srinagar		There have been claims to split the existing union territory to create a separate state for theKashmiris.[65][74]
Kodagu	Karnataka	Kodagu		The Codava National Council (CNC) has demanded for the creation of a new autonomous region for theKodava.[75][76]
Kongu Nadu	Karnataka,Kerala,Tamil Nadu	Chamarajanagar,Coimbatore,Dharmapuri,Erode,Karur,Krishnagiri,Namakkal,Nilgiris,Palakkad,Tiruppur,Salem and parts ofDindigul,Tiruchirappalli		Kongu Nadu refers to an approximate area of 60,895 km2 (23,512 sq mi) covering Western Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala and Karnataka.[77][78][79] It was one of the territorial divisions in the ancientTamilakam.[80] There has been demands for the formation a separate state of Kongu Nadu, which would include western Tamil Nadu with sections of south east Karnataka and east Kerala.[81][82] While various political parties have occasionally raised the demand, some parties are opposed to any bifurcation of the state.[83][84][85] Localcaste based political outfits have supported the demand.[86]
Konkan	Goa,Karnataka,Maharashtra	Goa,Raigad,Ratnagiri,Sindhudurg,Uttara Kannada		Konkan coast forms a strip of land along the north-western coast of India and there have been demands for a separate state for theKonkani people.[87][88]
Kosal	Odisha	Balangir,Bargarh,Boudh,Deogarh,Jharsuguda,Nuapada,Kalahandi,Subarnapur,Sambalpur,Sundargarh,Athmallik subdivision ofAngul		Kosal state movement has been demanding a separate state in theWestern Odisha region.[89] TheGovernment of Odisha established theWestern Odisha Development Council (WODC) in 2011.[90]
Kukiland	Manipur	Chandel,Churachandpur,Jiribam,Kamjong,Kangpokpi,Noney,Pherzawl,Tengnoupal		Kukiland is a proposed separate state for theKuki people which began in the 1980s and re-surfaced in the aftermath of the2023 Manipur violence.[91] The Kuki State Demand Committee supported byKuki National Army has demanded a separate state covering 60% of the area of Manipur, including Southern Manipur and surrounding areas ofSadar Hills.[92]
Kutch	Gujarat	Kutch		Kutch State orCutch State, covering theGreat Rann of Kutch, and theLittle Rann of Kutch existed as separate state from 1947 to 1956, which was merged withBombay state in 1956. It later became part of Gujarat in 1960.[93][94] There has been demands a return to statehood, citing poor development of the region.[95]
Ladakh	Ladakh	Kargil,Leh		There have been several demands for statehood for Ladakh. Kargil Democratic Alliance and Leh Apex Body demanded statehood and rallied in 2023.[96][97]Sonam Wangchuk went on ahunger strike demanding statehood.[98]
Mahakoshal	Madhya Pradesh	Chhindwara,Dindori,Jabalpur,Katni,Mandla,Narsinghpur,Seoni		Mahakoshal is a region which lies in the upper or eastern reaches of theNarmada River valley in Madhya Pradesh. Organisations such as Mahakaushal Mukti Morcha and Bharatiya Janashakti have demanded separate statehood for the region with the capital atJabalpur.[99] It is alleged that although the region is rich in natural resources, the region has seen limited development and the region has a distinct cultural identity.[100]
Malwa	Madhya Pradesh,Rajasthan	Agar,Banswara,Dewas,Dhar,Guna,Indore,Jhabua,Jhalawar,Mandsaur,Neemuch,Pratapgarh,Rajgarh,Ratlam,Shajapur,Ujjain,Sehore		There have been demands for a separate Malwa state with the capital atIndore including theMalvi speaking regions.[101]
Marathwada	Maharashtra	Aurangabad,Beed,Hingoli,Jalna,Latur,Nanded,Osmanabad,Parbhani		Marathwada is one of the fivedivisions of Maharashtra which was earlier part of theHyderabad State inBritish India. After Hyderabad was annexed to India, Marathwada was merged with Bombay state. There have been demands for a separate Marathwada state.[102]
Maru Pradesh	Rajasthan	Barmer,Jaisalmer,Bikaner,Churu,Ganganagar,Hanumangarh,Jhunjhunu,Jodhpur,Nagaur,Pali,Jalore,Sirohi,Sikar		Maru Pradesh is a proposed desert state in North West for theMarwaris.[103]
Magadha Rajya	Southern Bihar andNorthern Jharkhand	Vaishali,Samastipur,Begusarai,Sheikhpura,Lakhisarai,Jamui,Patna,Nalanda,Arwal,Jehanabad,Aurangabad,Gaya,Nawada,Garhwa,Palamu,Latehar,Chatra,Hazaribagh,Ramgarh,Bokaro,Koderma,Giridih,Dhanbad,Deoghar,Jamtara,Dumka,Godda,Pakur,Sahebganj		There have been demands for a Magadha Rajya, comprising theMagahi-speaking districts of southern Bihar and a blend ofMagahi known asKhortha is spoken by non-tribal populace inNorth Chotanagpur division of northern Jharkhand.[104][105][106]
Mithila	Bihar,Jharkhand	Araria,Begusarai,Bhagalpur,Banka,Darbhanga,Deoghar,Dumka,East Champaran,Godda,Jamtara,Jamui,Katihar,Khagaria,Kishanganj,Lakhisarai,Madhepura,Madhubani,Munger,Muzaffarpur,Pakaur,Purnia,Saharsa,Sahebganj,Samastipur,Sheohar,Sitamarhi,Supaul,Vaishali,West Champaran		Mithila is a proposed state which would cover theMaithili-speaking regions of Bihar and Jharkhand.[107][108][109]
North Bengal	West Bengal	Alipurduar,Cooch Behar,Dakshin Dinajpur,Darjeeling,Jalpaiguri,Kalimpong,Malda,Uttar Dinajpur		In 2021, politicians of Bharatiya Janata Party demanded carving out a state or union territory comprising the North Bengal districts.[110] However, the state unit distanced itself from the demand withIndian National Congress also opposing the same.[111][112] Different native linguistic ethnic groups have also rejected the separate statehood demand and are against the division of West Bengal.[113]
North Karnataka	Karnataka	Bagalkot,Ballari,Belagavi,Bidar,Bijapur,Dharwad,Gadag,Haveri,Kalaburagi,Koppal,Raichur,Vijayanagara,Yadgir		North Karnataka is a geographical region consisting of mostly semi-arid plateau that constitutes the northern part of the Karnataka with a notable difference from the other regions in terms of language, cuisine and culture.[114] Various organizations have demanded a separate state to be carved out of the region.[115]
Panun Kashmir	Jammu and Kashmir	Anantnag,Baramulla,Srinagar		Panun Kashmir is a proposed union territory in theKashmir Valley on religious lines which is advocated by the Kashmiri Pandit Network as a homeland forKashmiri Hindus who have fled the Kashmir valley as a result of ongoing separatist movement and hope to return.[116][117]
Purvanchal	Uttar Pradesh	Azamgarh,Ballia,Basti,Chandauli,Deoria,Ghazipur,Gorakhpur,Jaunpur,Kushinagar,Maharajganj,Mau,Mirzapur,Sant Kabir Nagar,Sant Ravidas Nagar,Siddharth Nagar,Varanasi		Purvanchal is a geographic region of north-central India, withBhojpuri as a major language.[118] While the Government of Uttar Pradesh proposed to carve out a separate state withGorakhpur orVaranasi as its capital in 2009, it has not officially materialized.[119]
Rayalaseema	Andhra Pradesh	Annamayya,Anantapur,Chittoor,Kadapa,Kurnool,Nandyal,Sri Sathya Sai,Tirupati		The proposed state would consist of eight districts of Andhra Pradesh.[120] Organizations such asRayalaseema Parirakshana Samithi and Rayalaseema Rashtra Samithi advocate for a separate state.[121][122]
Saurashtra	Gujarat	Ahmedabad,Amreli,Bhavnagar,Botad,Devbhoomi Dwarka,Gir Somnath,Jamnagar,Junagadh,Morbi,Porbandar,Rajkot,Surendranagar		The movement for a separateSaurashtra state was initiated in 1972. Local organisations across the region support the demand of the separate state claiming underdevelopment and lack of job opportunities.[123] The region is linguistically different from the rest of the state due to the prevalence of its ownSaurashtra dialect.[124]
Sindhi State	Gujarat,Rajasthan	Barmer,Jaisalmer,Jalore,Kutch		There have been demands for a separate state for theSindhi people.[125]
Tipraland	Tripura	Parts ofDhalai,Gomati,Khowai,North Tripura,Sipahijala,South Tripura,Unakoti,West Tripura		TheKingdom of Tripura was a kingdom from the early 15th century which was annexed as the princely state ofTripura in 1949 and later achieved statehood on 21 January 1972.[126][127] The indigenous Tipra people demanded anautonomous district, which was created on 23 March 1979 in the form of theTripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). A separate statehood is demanded byIndigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) andTipraland State Party (TSP).[128]
Tulu Nadu	Karnataka,Kerala	Dakshina Kannada,Kasaragod,Udupi		Tulu Nadu is a border region between the states of Karnataka and Kerala in southern India. The demand for a separate state is based on a distinct culture and language (Tulu), and neglect of the region by the state governments.[129][130] The Karnataka and Kerala state governments have created the Tulu Sahitya Academy to preserve and promoteTuluva culture.[131]
Vidarbha	Maharashtra	Akola,Amravati,Bhandara,Buldhana,Chandrapur,Gadchiroli,Gondia,Nagpur,Wardha,Washim,Yavatmal		Vidarbha is a region that comprises theAmravati andNagpur divisions of eastern Maharashtra. Support for a separate Vidarbha state had been expressed by various people over time.[132][133]
Vindhya Pradesh	Madhya Pradesh	Panna,Chhatarpur,Datia,Rewa,Satna,Sidhi,Shahdol,Singrauli,Tikamgarh		Vindhya Pradesh was a former state which was merged into Madhya Pradesh in 1956.[134] Since 2000, there have been demands for the nine districts to be separated from Madhya Pradesh to create a new state.[135][136]

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