Indian Political CompassStates & Union Territories
India's political map, state by state
Political profiles of all 28 states and 8 Union Territories — election results across three Lok Sabha cycles, key facts, and the issues that define each state's politics.
35 states and Union Territories
North India
Uttar PradeshIndia's most politically decisive state. Its 80 Lok Sabha seats — more than any other — make it the single biggest battleground in any national election, and no government has ever won a majority without performing strongly here.
DelhiA compact but nationally watched contest. BJP dominates Lok Sabha elections in the capital while the AAP swept assembly elections in 2015 and 2020; the 2025 assembly returned BJP to state power for the first time in 27 years.
HaryanaA closely contested state where agrarian issues, Jat community politics, and welfare delivery shape outcomes. Lok Sabha results split almost evenly between BJP and INC in 2024, reflecting the competitive nature of this politically important north Indian state.
Himachal PradeshA small Himalayan state with a strong tradition of alternating between BJP and INC at every assembly election. Tourism, horticulture, and public sector employment dominate the economy and the political conversation.
PunjabA three-way contest between INC, AAP, and the BJP-SAD alliance, with agriculture, Sikh identity, and federal autonomy as defining issues. AAP swept the 2022 assembly elections, ending decades of INC-SAD alternation.
RajasthanA reliable alternator between BJP and INC at the state level, with strong caste arithmetic and agrarian politics shaping every election cycle. The state has not returned the same party to power in consecutive assembly elections since 1998.
UttarakhandA Himalayan state carved from UP in 2000, with a strong BJP base in both state and national elections. Development, migration from rural hills to the plains, and environmental concerns are central political themes.
Jammu & KashmirIndia's only Muslim-majority state, reorganised into two Union Territories in 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated. Its politics are defined by the relationship with the central government, security conditions, and the question of statehood restoration.
ChandigarhA planned city and Union Territory serving as the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana. Its single Lok Sabha seat is a bellwether for urban north Indian sentiment.
Central India
Madhya PradeshIndia's second-largest state by area, with BJP as the dominant force since 2003. INC held power briefly (2018-2020) before a floor-crossing brought BJP back; the 2023 assembly election returned BJP with a decisive majority.
ChhattisgarhA mineral-rich state carved from Madhya Pradesh in 2000. Left-wing extremism in its forested southern districts, tribal rights, and resource extraction have defined its politics alongside the INC-BJP alternation.
West India
GujaratThe BJP's strongest state, which has returned BJP governments continuously since 1995 and produced significant national party leadership including Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. It is routinely used as a template for BJP's model of governance.
MaharashtraIndia's wealthiest state and its most politically complex: a multi-party arena where BJP, Shiv Sena (two factions), INC, and NCP (two factions) compete in shifting alliances. Mumbai's financial dominance gives the state outsized national influence.
GoaA small coastal state with a historically competitive INC-BJP contest and significant defection politics. Tourism, mining, and its Portuguese colonial heritage shape both its economy and political culture.
Dadra & NH and Daman & DiuA merged Union Territory on the Gujarat coast with limited political visibility at the national level. Its two Lok Sabha seats have predominantly returned BJP candidates in recent elections.
South India
Andhra PradeshBifurcated in 2014 to create Telangana, the residual Andhra Pradesh has been dominated by a TDP-YSRCP contest. Capital city construction, the special category status demand, and Amaravati's fate have been central political issues since bifurcation.
TelanganaFormed in 2014 after a decades-long statehood movement, Telangana was dominated by the BRS (formerly TRS) for its first decade. The INC defeated BRS in the 2023 assembly elections, ending KCR's decade-long run.
KarnatakaThe most politically competitive southern state, where BJP, INC, and JD(S) contest in shifting combinations. Karnataka's results shape national coalition arithmetic, and Bengaluru's tech economy gives it an outsized economic footprint.
KeralaA Left-INC rotation state where the CPI(M)-led LDF and the INC-led UDF have alternated in power since the 1980s without exception. BJP has negligible state-level presence but broke through in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with its first Kerala seat.
Tamil NaduA state where the Dravidian duopoly of DMK and AIADMK has held since the 1960s, with national parties playing marginal roles. Tamil language, federalism, and resistance to Hindi imposition are persistent political themes.
PuducherryA small Union Territory with a French colonial heritage, where INC and AINRC compete in assembly elections. Its single Lok Sabha seat has returned INC candidates in recent elections.
East India
West BengalIndia's most politically charged state, with a history of Left rule (1977-2011) succeeded by TMC dominance. Bengal's elections are marked by high mobilisation and political violence; BJP made major gains in 2019 before TMC consolidated in 2021.
OdishaDominated by the BJD under Naveen Patnaik for 24 consecutive years, Odisha was an unusual case of stable regional party governance. The 2024 elections ended BJD's run, returning BJP to power in both the state assembly and Lok Sabha seats.
BiharOne of India's most caste-structured electorates, where Yadav, Dalit, Kurmi, and upper-caste arithmetic shapes every result. The JD(U)-BJP alliance competes with Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD-INC INDIA bloc in closely fought contests.
JharkhandA tribal-majority state carved from Bihar in 2000, rich in minerals. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, BJP, and the INC contest here; tribal land rights, forest protections, and mining policy define political fault lines.
Northeast India
AssamThe political gateway to the northeast, where BJP replaced INC as the dominant force in 2016. Immigration, citizenship (NRC/CAA), tea garden workers, and Assamese identity politics make it one of the most contested northeastern states.
Arunachal PradeshA BJP-dominant frontier state bordering China, where the Line of Actual Control dispute gives it strategic significance beyond its two Lok Sabha seats. Tribal governance, forest rights, and hydropower development shape local politics.
ManipurA state that has been under BJP governance since 2017, but which saw severe ethnic conflict between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities from May 2023. The violence displaced tens of thousands and drew sustained national attention to the state's complex demographic tensions.
MeghalayaA predominantly Christian, matrilineal state where the NPP leads a coalition government. National parties have limited reach; tribal community structures, coal mining regulation, and border disputes with Assam dominate local politics.
MizoramA predominantly Christian state with a strong regional identity and a history of insurgency resolved by the 1986 Mizoram Peace Accord. The Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) won the 2023 assembly elections, ending decades of MNF-INC alternation.
NagalandA tribal Christian state where the Naga peace process — a decades-long negotiation between the Government of India and the NSCN(IM) — remains the defining political issue. The NDPP-BJP coalition currently governs.
SikkimA tiny Himalayan state that merged with India in 1975. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) under Prem Singh Tamang ended 25 years of SDF governance in 2019 and was re-elected in 2024.
TripuraA small state bordering Bangladesh where BJP ended 25 years of CPM rule in 2018. Bengali-Tripuri demographic balance, tribal land rights, and the state's isolation from mainland India shape its political economy.
Island Territories
LakshadweepA Union Territory of coral islands in the Arabian Sea with a single Lok Sabha seat. INC has historically dominated, though the territory gained national attention in 2021 over contested administrative reform proposals.
Andaman & Nicobar IslandsA remote Union Territory in the Bay of Bengal with a single Lok Sabha seat. Its strategic location near the Strait of Malacca gives it military importance beyond its small population.