The exact words
The Constitution of India
CLAUSE (1)India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.
CLAUSE (2)The States and the territories thereof shall be as specified in the First Schedule.
CLAUSE (3)The territory of India shall comprise—
(a) the territories of the States;
(b) the Union territories specified in the First Schedule; and
(c) such other territories as may be acquired.
Amendment note. Clause (2), and sub-clause (b) of clause (3), were substituted by the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956. Clause (1) and clause (3)(a) and (c) are unamended.
In plain words
Two names, one country
The Constitution gives our country two names: India and Bharat. Both are official, and they mean the same thing.
Why "Union of States"?
India's States did not make a deal to join, so there is no deal to walk out of. Dr Ambedkar said the Indian Union is a Union "because it is indestructible". In legal language, a State has no right of secession.
So do States have no power?
They do. States have their own elected governments and their own powers. The Constitution divides the work between the Union and the States, but the Union has a strong place.
What counts as India?
Three things: the territories of the States, the Union Territories, and any territory India may acquire in the future.
Words to know
- Union
- One whole country, not a club that States can join or leave.
- Federation
- A country formed when separate states agree to come together.
- Secession
- A part of a country breaking away to become independent.
- Union Territory
- An area governed directly by the Union, or in a special way set by law.
- First Schedule
- The table at the back of the Constitution that lists the States and Union Territories.
Real example
Jammu and Kashmir, 2019
Parliament, using its power under Article 3, reorganised the State into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and of Ladakh. It shows that States hold their territory as parts of the Union.
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Sample of the Article page design. Every Article can get a page like this over time.