India
India is a federal union comprising 29 states and 7 union territories. All states, as well in addition to the union territories of Puducherry and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, have elected legislatures and governments following on the Westminster system of governance. The remaining five union territories are directly ruled by the centre through appointed administrators. In 1956, under the States Reorganisation Act, states were reorganised on a linguistic basis. Since then, their structure has remained largely unchanged. Each state or union territory is further divided into administrative districts. The districts are further divided into tehsils and ultimately into villages.
Proposed states and territories of India
The creation of new states and territories in India is a power reserved solely for the Parliament of India. Parliament can do so by announcing new states, separating territory from an existing state or by merging two or more states or parts thereof. In addition to the existing twenty nine states and seven union territories some new states and territories of India have been proposed to be established over time.