India, situated on the expansive Asian peninsula, boasts a wealth of history and culture. To facilitate governance, India is divided into states and union territories. Every state and union territory in India has its own capital city. In total, India is a union of 28 States & 8 Union Territories (as of 1 Jan 2024).
Each state in India has a Chief Minister who wields executive authority over that particular state. The responsibilities of the Chief Minister of a state are outlined under Article 167 of the Indian Constitution. Currently, there are 36 Chief Ministers presiding over 28 states and 2 union territories in India.
Every state in India must have a governor as mentioned in Article 153 of the Indian Constitution. The Governor of a state officially wields the executive power. Governors are appointed by the President of India.
To be eligible to be appointed as a Governor of state, a person should be a recognised Indian citizen with age 35 years or more. The person should not be a Member of the Parliament or Legislature. He/She should not have any office or business. The primary role of the Governor of a state is to protect, preserve and defend rightfully and to maintain the dignity of the Indian Constitution and its law at all costs.
A union territory in India is assigned a Lieutenant Governor or an Administrator, similar to that of a Governor of a state.