Lieutenant Governors and the Union Territories Explained

India is a Union of States, but it is also home to a smaller group of territories that do not enjoy the full autonomy of a State. These Union Territories are governed in a very different manner: instead of an elected Chief Minister heading an independent State government, the President of India acts through an appointed functionary, usually a Lieutenant Governor or an Administrator. The arrangement is rooted in Part VIII of the Constitution, and it reflects the many reasons why a region may be kept under closer central supervision.

Not all Union Territories are alike, however. Three of them have their own elected legislatures and councils of ministers, while the rest are run directly by the Centre through an appointed head. This explainer walks through how the system works, what the Lieutenant Governor actually does, why Delhi occupies a special constitutional position, and which territories make up the list today. 4 October 2026

Quick Facts

What Is a Union Territory?

A Union Territory is a unit of the Indian federation that is administered by the Union government rather than being a self-governing State. Article 1 of the Constitution describes India as a Union of States and lists the territories of India as the territories of the States, the Union Territories and any other territories that may be acquired. The First Schedule names the States and Union Territories, and Parliament can alter this list under Article 3.

The central idea is that the Union Territory belongs, in an administrative sense, to the Union itself. There are no separate State List subjects for it in the way they exist for a State, because Parliament may legislate on any subject for these areas. Even where a legislature exists, its authority is delegated by Parliament rather than being guaranteed by the Constitution in the way State legislatures are.

Why are Union Territories created?

Several considerations have historically led to the creation of Union Territories:

• Strategic importance: border regions and island groups, such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Ladakh, require central oversight for defence and security.
• Small size or population: some areas, like Lakshadweep, are too small to function as viable States.
• Cultural distinctiveness: former French or Portuguese enclaves such as Puducherry and Daman and Diu retained a separate identity after merging into India.
• Political and administrative needs: Chandigarh serves as the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, and Delhi is the national capital.

Historical Background of Union Territories

Before 1956, the Constitution divided States into Parts A, B, C and D. Part C States were smaller units, often former chief commissioners’ provinces or princely territories, that were administered under the President through a Chief Commissioner or Lieutenant Governor. Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura and Ajmer were among the Part C States, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands formed a Part D territory.

The States Reorganisation Act, 1956, together with the Seventh Constitutional Amendment of the same year, abolished the four-fold classification. States were reorganised mostly on linguistic lines, and the remaining centrally administered areas were converted into Union Territories. In the following decades, several of these territories were upgraded into full States: Himachal Pradesh in 1971, Manipur and Tripura in 1972, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh in 1987, and Goa in 1987 after its earlier years as a Union Territory following its liberation in 1961.

Territories added after independence

Some territories joined India later. Dadra and Nagar Haveli were freed from Portuguese rule in the 1950s and became a Union Territory in 1961, Goa, Daman and Diu followed in 1961 after the end of Portuguese rule, and Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam came under Indian administration after the French transfer in 1954 and were organised as the Union Territory of Puducherry in the early 1960s. Chandigarh was carved out when Punjab was reorganised in 1966.

Administration Under Article 239

Article 239 is the foundation of the system. It provides that, unless Parliament makes a law to the contrary, every Union Territory is to be administered by the President acting through an administrator whom he appoints, with such designation as he may specify. This is why some territories have a Lieutenant Governor while others have an Administrator.

Article 239(2) allows the President to appoint the Governor of a State as the administrator of an adjoining Union Territory. In such cases, the Governor acts as administrator independently of the State’s council of ministers. This is the reason the Governor of Punjab has in recent years also held charge as the Administrator of Chandigarh.

Related constitutional provisions

• Article 240: empowers the President to make regulations for peace, progress and good government of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and Puducherry when its assembly is dissolved or suspended. Such regulations have the same force as an Act of Parliament.
• Article 241: allows Parliament to constitute a High Court for a Union Territory or declare any court in it to be a High Court.
• Article 246(4): gives Parliament power over any matter in any part of India not included in a State, even if it falls in the State List.
• Article 239A and 239AA: provide for legislatures and councils of ministers in Puducherry and Delhi respectively.

Union Territories With and Without Legislatures

The most useful way to understand the present structure is to divide Union Territories into two groups. In the first, there is an elected Legislative Assembly, a Chief Minister and a council of ministers who run most of the day-to-day government, with the Lieutenant Governor as constitutional head and representative of the Centre. In the second group, the Lieutenant Governor or Administrator governs directly, assisted by a civil service and sometimes an advisory body.

Territories with a legislature

Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir elect their own assemblies. Puducherry received its legislature under Article 239A, as modified by the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963. Delhi’s arrangement stems from Article 239AA and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991. Jammu and Kashmir has a legislature under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which came into effect on 31 October 2019.

Territories without a legislature

Ladakh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep have no legislative assembly. They are administered by a Lieutenant Governor or an Administrator, who is assisted in some cases by advisers or by local elected bodies such as panchayats and municipal councils. Their residents still elect members to the Lok Sabha.

The Role of the Lieutenant Governor

The Lieutenant Governor, often abbreviated as LG, is the President’s representative in a Union Territory. Appointed by the President on the advice of the Union government, an LG holds office during the pleasure of the President and has no fixed tenure. The post is similar in stature to a Governor but differs sharply in the degree of discretion it carries, because the LG is an agent of the Centre in administering territory that is under the Union’s direct constitutional responsibility.

Functions and powers

• Executive authority: the executive power of the Union Territory vests in the LG, who exercises it directly or through officers subordinate to the post.
• Legislative role: in territories with an assembly, the LG summons, prorogues and may address the House, gives assent to Bills or reserves them for the President, and can recommend certain categories of Bills.
• Ordinance-making: when the assembly is not in session, the LG may promulgate ordinances with the prior instructions of the President, a power found in Article 239B for Puducherry and in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 for Delhi.
• Regulation-making: in territories without a legislature, the President may make regulations under Article 240 on the LG’s recommendation.
• Appointments and law and order: the LG often controls the police, public order and certain services, depending on the territory’s governing law.

How is an LG different from a Governor?

A State Governor is a constitutional head who normally acts on the aid and advice of the council of ministers, except in a narrow band of discretionary matters. An LG in a legislature-bearing Union Territory is a closer extension of the Union executive. Where there is no assembly, the LG is effectively the chief executive and is not bound by any local council of ministers. The Constitution therefore places the LG in a more active administrative role than a Governor.

Delhi and Article 239AA

Delhi’s position is the most distinctive among the Union Territories. It was a Part C State until 1956, a Union Territory with a Metropolitan Council from 1966, and subsequently was restructured following the Sarkaria and Balakrishnan Committee recommendations in the 1980s. The 69th Constitutional Amendment of 1991 inserted Article 239AA and Article 239AB, and Delhi was designated the National Capital Territory of Delhi, usually abbreviated as NCT of Delhi.

Article 239AA provides for a Legislative Assembly elected directly by the people and a council of ministers headed by a Chief Minister to aid and advise the Lieutenant Governor. The Assembly has 70 seats, and the council of ministers cannot exceed ten per cent of the total membership of the House.

Legislative powers of Delhi’s Assembly

The Delhi Legislative Assembly may make laws on subjects in the State List and the Concurrent List, with an important exception. The matters of public order, police and land (Entries 1, 2 and 18 of the State List) are reserved for the Union government. Parliament also retains full power to make laws for Delhi on any subject, and where a Delhi law conflicts with a parliamentary law, the latter generally prevails.

Difference of opinion between the LG and ministers

Article 239AA(4) states that the council of ministers aids and advises the LG in matters on which the Assembly can legislate, except where the LG is required to act in his discretion. If there is a difference of opinion between the LG and the ministers, the LG must refer the matter to the President and act as the President directs. In urgent matters, the LG may take immediate action while the reference is pending.

The Centre and the NCT: A Constitutional Dynamic

Because the arrangement divides authority between an elected government and a Centre-appointed head, questions of interpretation have recurred. The Supreme Court examined them in a landmark Constitution Bench judgment in 2018, which held that the LG does not have independent decision-making powers on all matters and must generally act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers, with the right to refer genuine differences to the President. The Court also clarified that the LG cannot treat every difference as a reason to refer a matter to the President.

A further Constitution Bench ruling in 2023 considered who controls services in the National Capital Territory. The Court held that the elected government has legislative and executive power over services, except for matters relating to public order, police and land. Parliament subsequently enacted an amendment to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act in 2023, which established an authority for transfers and postings of officers and renewed public debate on the balance of power. The legal position continues to be tested in the courts, and the discussion shows why the Delhi model is described as a unique form of limited statehood.

Why does Delhi hold this status?

• It is the seat of the President, Parliament, the Supreme Court and foreign embassies.
• Security, land and policing in the capital are matters of national concern.
• A fully autonomous State government in the national capital could create conflicts between two sets of authorities in the same city.

Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir

Puducherry was among the first Union Territories to receive a legislature under this framework. The Fourteenth Amendment of 1962 inserted Article 239A, enabling Parliament to create a local Legislature and a Council of Ministers. The Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 gave effect to this. The Puducherry Assembly includes elected members and a small number of nominated members. The Lieutenant Governor acts as the Union’s representative, and, as in Delhi, questions have sometimes arisen on the division of powers between the elected government and the LG.

Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory with a legislature after Parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. On 5 August 2019, the application of Article 370 was altered, and the former State was reorganised into two Union Territories on 31 October 2019: Jammu and Kashmir with a legislature, and Ladakh without one. The governing arrangements under the Reorganisation Act place police and public order with the Union government, and give the LG a significant role in certain areas such as all-India services and the administration of the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Other Union Territories and Their Features

Ladakh

Ladakh is the largest Union Territory by area and lies in a sensitive high-altitude border zone. It has no legislature, but it has autonomous hill development councils in Leh and Kargil that manage local development.

Chandigarh

Chandigarh, planned by Le Corbusier, is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana and also a Union Territory in its own right. It shares its High Court with the two States, and is represented by one Lok Sabha member.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep

These island territories are strategically significant in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Lakshadweep is the smallest Union Territory by area. Both are governed by the President through an appointed head, and both come under regulations made under Article 240.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

The two earlier territories were merged into one Union Territory on 26 January 2020 under a law passed by Parliament in 2019, with the aim of improving administrative efficiency and avoiding duplication.

Representation in Parliament and the Judiciary

Union Territories are represented in the Lok Sabha through members elected directly from their territorial constituencies, as allowed by Article 81. Representation in the Rajya Sabha is limited: only Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir elect members to the Upper House, since they have legislatures that form the electoral college.

On the judicial side, Delhi has had its own High Court since 1966, while Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh share a High Court, Chandigarh falls under the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands come under the Calcutta High Court. Lakshadweep is under the Kerala High Court, and Puducherry is under the Madras High Court. The Bombay High Court has jurisdiction over Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Debates, Reforms and the Road Ahead

The Union Territory model has long drawn discussion in India. Supporters point to the need for efficient central control over strategically sensitive or administratively special areas. Critics argue that territories with sizeable populations and elected governments, particularly Delhi and Puducherry, deserve greater autonomy, since friction between an elected Chief Minister and an appointed LG can slow governance.

Recurring demands for full statehood for Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir illustrate this debate. Statehood would require a law under Article 3 and, for Delhi, likely a constitutional amendment given the structure of Article 239AA. Others note that careful intergovernmental coordination, Supreme Court guidance and clearer statutory language can help the two layers of authority function together without altering the basic design.

Conclusion

The Union Territories form a small but constitutionally significant part of India’s federal structure. They are governed under Article 239 through administrators appointed by the President, with special provisions that give Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir elected legislatures, and others remain directly administered. Understanding the role of the Lieutenant Governor, the limits of local legislatures and the Supreme Court’s interpretations helps make sense of how authority is shared between the Centre and these territories.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Union Territories does India have?

India has eight Union Territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep and Puducherry. The number changed after the 2019 reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir and the merger of the two western territories in 2020.

Which Union Territories have their own legislature?

Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir have elected Legislative Assemblies and councils of ministers. The other five Union Territories are administered directly by a Lieutenant Governor or Administrator without a legislature.

What is the difference between a Lieutenant Governor and an Administrator?

Both are appointed by the President under Article 239 to administer a Union Territory. The designation is simply a matter of notification; Lieutenant Governors serve in territories such as Delhi, Puducherry, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, while others use the title Administrator.

What does Article 239AA provide?

Article 239AA, inserted by the 69th Amendment in 1991, gives Delhi the special status of National Capital Territory. It provides for a Legislative Assembly and a council of ministers headed by a Chief Minister, while keeping public order, police and land under the Union government.

Can a Union Territory become a State?

Yes. Under Article 3, Parliament can pass a law to elevate a Union Territory to a State. Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa all began as Union Territories before attaining statehood.

Who resolves disputes between the Lieutenant Governor and the elected government in Delhi?

Under Article 239AA(4), a difference of opinion is referred to the President, whose decision is binding on the LG. The Supreme Court has also clarified through Constitution Bench judgments how the LG and the council of ministers should interact.

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