Introduction
If you have spent even a week preparing for a government exam in India, you have almost certainly run into a question that looks something like this:
“Which of the following is not a Union Territory?” (a) Chandigarh (b) Puducherry (c) Goa (d) Lakshadweep
It looks simple, but it is one of the most consistently “trap-laden” static GK questions in Indian competitive exams. Examiners love it because it tests three things at once — your knowledge of the current list of Union Territories, your awareness of recent reorganisations, and whether you can spot a former UT that quietly became a full state (Goa, in the example above, being the classic trap).
This guide breaks down everything you need to answer this question correctly, no matter how it is phrased, and tells you exactly which exams love to ask it.
What Exactly Is a Union Territory?
A Union Territory (UT) is a region of India that is administered directly by the Central Government, usually through a Lieutenant Governor or an Administrator appointed by the President, rather than by an elected state government with full autonomy. This framework is laid out in Part VIII (Articles 239 to 241) of the Constitution of India, and Article 1 classifies Indian territory into three categories: states, union territories, and territories that may be acquired later.
The key distinction for exam purposes:
- States have their own elected government with powers drawn from the State List and Concurrent List.
- Union Territories are generally centrally administered, though three of them — Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu & Kashmir — have their own elected Legislative Assembly for limited subjects.
Current List of Union Territories in India (2026)
As of 2026, India has 8 Union Territories. This number has changed twice in recent years, which is exactly why examiners keep testing it:
| # | Union Territory | Capital | Legislature? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Port Blair | No |
| 2 | Chandigarh | Chandigarh | No |
| 3 | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | Daman | No |
| 4 | Delhi (NCT) | New Delhi | Yes |
| 5 | Jammu & Kashmir | Srinagar (summer) / Jammu (winter) | Yes |
| 6 | Ladakh | Leh | No |
| 7 | Lakshadweep | Kavaratti | No |
| 8 | Puducherry | Puducherry | Yes |
Why the number changed
- October 2019: The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act split the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories — Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh — taking the UT count from 7 to 9.
- January 2020: The UTs of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu were merged into a single UT, bringing the total back down to 8, where it stands today.
Any question about “how many Union Territories does India have” or “which of these was not always a UT” is almost always testing your knowledge of these two events.
The Real Trap: States That Used to Be Union Territories
This is where most candidates lose marks. Examiners frequently place a former Union Territory that is now a full-fledged state among the options, betting that you’ll remember its old status and pick it by mistake.
Common examples used as “distractor” options:
- Goa — was a Union Territory until 1987, when it became India’s 25th state (Daman and Diu were separated and remained a UT).
- Mizoram — was a Union Territory before becoming a state in 1987 under the State of Mizoram Act.
- Arunachal Pradesh — was a Union Territory (formerly NEFA) before attaining statehood in 1987.
- Himachal Pradesh — held Union Territory status before becoming a full state in 1971.
- Manipur and Tripura — also transitioned from Union Territory to statehood in 1972.
If any of these names appears in an MCQ about Union Territories, it is almost certainly the correct answer to “which one is not a Union Territory” — because all of them are states today, even though they carried UT status decades ago.
Solved Practice Questions
Q1. Which of the following is not a Union Territory of India? (a) Lakshadweep (b) Puducherry (c) Goa (d) Chandigarh Answer: (c) Goa — it became a state in 1987.
Q2. Which of the following was never a Union Territory? (a) Sikkim (b) Mizoram (c) Manipur (d) Himachal Pradesh Answer: (a) Sikkim — it joined India directly as a state in 1975 via the 36th Constitutional Amendment; it was never administered as a Union Territory.
Q3. Identify the odd one out among these Union Territories. (a) Ladakh (b) Jammu & Kashmir (c) Sikkim (d) Puducherry Answer: (c) Sikkim — a state, not a UT.
Q4. As of 2026, how many Union Territories does India have? (a) 7 (b) 8 (c) 9 (d) 6 Answer: (b) 8
How This Question Is Reframed Across Exams
Examiners rarely repeat the exact same wording twice. Watch out for these common variations:
- “Which of the following is not a Union Territory?”
- “Which of the following was never a Union Territory?”
- “Identify the odd one out” (mixing states and UTs together)
- “How many Union Territories does India currently have?”
- “Which Union Territory has its own Legislative Assembly?” (tests Delhi, Puducherry, J&K)
- “Which of the following states was formerly a Union Territory?” (the reverse framing — Goa, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh)
- “Match the Union Territory with its capital / Lieutenant Governor / year of formation”
- “Which Union Territory does not have a Legislative Assembly?”
- Statement-based/assertion-reason questions combining Article 239-241 with current UT facts
- Current affairs cross-questions tied to the 2019 J&K Reorganisation Act or the 2020 DNH–Daman & Diu merger
Which Exams Ask This Question?
This is a favourite Static GK / Indian Polity question and shows up across almost every major Indian competitive exam category:
SSC Exams
- SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level)
- SSC CHSL (Combined Higher Secondary Level)
- SSC MTS
- SSC GD Constable
- SSC Stenographer
UPSC and State PSC Exams
- UPSC Civil Services Prelims (General Studies Paper I)
- UPSC CDS and NDA (General Knowledge section)
- State PSC exams (BPSC, UPPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, etc.)
Banking Exams
- IBPS PO / Clerk (General Awareness section)
- SBI PO / Clerk
- RBI Assistant / Grade B
- Regional Rural Bank (RRB) exams
Railway Exams
- RRB NTPC
- RRB Group D
- RRB ALP (Assistant Loco Pilot)
Defence Exams
- NDA (National Defence Academy)
- CDS (Combined Defence Services)
- AFCAT (Air Force Common Admission Test)
- Territorial Army
Teaching Exams
- CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test)
- State TETs (UPTET, REET, HTET, etc.)
State-Level Police and Other Exams
- State Police SI/Constable recruitment exams
- Patwari, Lekhpal, and other state clerical exams
- LIC AAO / Assistant
Essentially, any exam with a General Knowledge, General Awareness, or Indian Polity section is fair game for this question, because it combines static facts (the constitutional definition of a UT) with recent current affairs (the 2019–2020 reorganisations).
Quick Memory Trick
Use the mnemonic “CD-JAL-LP” for the 8 current Union Territories:
- Chandigarh
- Delhi
- Jammu & Kashmir
- Andaman & Nicobar Islands
- Ladakh
- Lakshadweep
- Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (second D, sometimes remembered as “DD”)
- Puducherry
And remember the golden rule for the trap options: Goa, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Tripura are all former Union Territories that are now states — if you see any of them in the options, they are usually the “not a Union Territory” answer.
Conclusion
“Which of the following is not a Union Territory?” is deceptively simple but tests real conceptual clarity — the current list of 8 UTs, the constitutional framework behind them, and the history of states that once held UT status. Once you internalize the current list and the list of former UTs-turned-states, you will never miss this question again, in whichever exam or however it is rephrased.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How many Union Territories does India have in 2026?
A: India currently has 8 Union Territories.
Q: Which Union Territories have their own Legislative Assembly?
A: Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu & Kashmir have elected Legislative Assemblies; the other five are administered directly without one.
Q: Which state was the most recent to lose its status as a full state and become a Union Territory?
A: Jammu & Kashmir, which was reorganised into two Union Territories (J&K and Ladakh) in October 2019.
Q: Is Sikkim a Union Territory?
A: No. Sikkim has always been a state since joining India in 1975; it was never a Union Territory.
