India Debates Creating a New State
India’s states by ruling party. Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons.
February 11, 2026
The country of India--the world’s largest democracy--consists of 28 states and seven union territories holding a total population of 1.23 billion people and covering an entire sub-continent. These states are incredibly diverse in nature. For instance, the largest state, Uttar Pradesh, has a population of approximately 200,000,000. The smallest state, Sikkim, has a population of around 600,000. The state of Rajasthan in the northwest of the country covers an area of 342,269 square kilometers while tiny Goa on the southwestern coast has an area of a little over 3,700 square kilometers. As the Indian Parliament debates creating a new state, Telangana, this weekly focus will provide a background on the state system of India and explore how it will affect upcoming elections.
After India gained its independence from the British, it dismantled the colonial provincial system and instead created new states based primarily around ethnic and linguistic divides. One reason for this is the incredible diversity that exists in India, something that was not taken into account in the older British provinces. As recently as 2000, three new states (Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Jharkhand) entered into existence. The state governments consist of elected legislatures, an executive chief minister, and a governor appointed by the central government.
States have either an elected unicameral or bicameral parliamentary legislature. In states with a unicameral parliament, the legislature is elected to five-year terms. Only six states have bicameral parliaments, meaning that the legislature is separated into a lower and an upper house. The lower house is elected to five-year terms and handles the majority of legislation, while the upper house serves primarily as consultation and has limits on the power it can exert on the legislative process. The upper house has elections for one third of its members every two years, and these terms last for six years. The members of parliament elect the chief minister, who wields executive power in the state. The central government in Delhi appoints each state’s governor, but this position holds less functional power than that the chief minister.
Article 3 of the Indian Constitution gives Parliament the right to form new states through separating or fusing territory in current states. This is a highly unusual power; most of the world's federations either forbid the act (like the United States) or ensure Parliament cannot act unilaterally (as in Brazil or Russia). In theory, all that is needed for Telangana's creation is for a law to be passed through both houses of Parliament. But politics complicates the process; since the 80s, Indian politics have slowly shifted from when one party, the Indian National Congress, reigned supreme to two national parties competing fiercely for the support of statewide ones.
It is indeed Congress, now in their tenth consecutive year in power, who proposed to separate Telangana. Historically the area was controlled by the Hyderabad state, a puppet kingdom of British India. After pressure within Congress in the 1950s to combine all Telugu speaking areas into one state, Telangana was combined into Andhra Pradesh. Since then the area has housed its separatist movement, which demands an end to coastal Andhra Pradesh exploiting Telangana's resources.
On the other hand, it is only the Congress elites in Delhi who support the plan. Its opponents come from party barons in the state, as well as forces outside of the formal power avenues. The Andhra Pradesh Congress party opposes the split; its leaders mostly come from the coast. Dividing the state would destroy the party's support, and the current Congress government ordered a symbolic vote against the move. For opposition figures based outside of the state, the strategy is to score political points by warning that India will fall apart. Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare says more states would weaken the country, an argument echoed by Communists and Hindu extremists alike.
As of today, other parties have noticed the revolt in Congress over the shift. While other parties supporting the government are ambivalent over the measure, Congress needs support from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, assuming they will not give up contesting the region. The BJP, however, has moved from support to indecision, and Telangana looks increasingly unlikely. But the government will proceed, because giving up on this political gambit will doom them to opposition.
Though Congress continues to hold on to power, their likelihood of remaining in power after elections is looking more tenuous. It is becoming increasingly clear that their two term reign may be coming to an end after national elections in May. In December, state assembly elections brought in a spate of local BJP governments. Although, these elections are not perfect barometers for the national elections, voters have soured on Congress as the Indian economy continues to flounder. Congress’ prime ministerial candidate, Rahul Gandhi, has not fared well in polls compared to the enigmatic Narendra Modi of BJP. However, although Mr. Modi remains the frontrunner to replace Manmohan Singh, he is plagued by accusations stemming from his involvement in anti-Muslim riots during his term as Chief Minister of Gujarat. With elections in May, it is still very much a two horse race.
The current debate over the creation of Telangana continues to expose the weakness of India’s political system. The strife between the national Congress party and its local counterpart in Andhra Pradesh reveals the fractured nature of India’s political parties. If Telangana is created, the Congress party of Andhra Pradesh will likely collapse. Many of India’s political parties are small and based in specific regions, meaning that the creation of a new state can have a profound impact on local parties in the area. Additionally, small regional parties can have a major impact on the national stage as part of ruling coalitions. If India’s parties continue to fragmentize, whoever wins the Prime Minister seat will have a difficult time ruling.
Further Reading:
History of Telangana
Upcoming Elections
Contributions by Sam Ide, Tom Cui, and Ben Mandel