State legislatures mirror Parliament in broad structure, but with real variations. This article covers those differences, and a few special governance arrangements.
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Polity · Polity0027
State Legislatures and Special Governance
Structure
Most states: unicameral (Legislative Assembly).
A few: bicameral, plus a Legislative Council.
Governor’s Powers
Veto and ordinance-making, comparable to the President’s.
Some scope differences from the Union level.
UTs & MPLADS
UTs: usually run by an Administrator, not elected govt.
MPLADS: MPs recommend local development works.
A structural choice, not a rule
The unicameral-versus-bicameral choice reflects each state’s own history and politics — the Constitution permits either, leaving the decision to the state itself.
Must Know
- Most Indian states have a unicameral legislature, just a Legislative Assembly. A few states also have an upper house, a Legislative Council, which makes them bicameral.
- The Governor holds veto and ordinance-making powers over state legislation. These are broadly comparable to the President’s powers at the Union level, though with some differences in scope.
- Union Territories are administered differently from states. This is typically through an Administrator appointed by the President, rather than through a state-style elected government.
- The MPLADS (Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) lets each MP recommend development works in their constituency. It is funded through a dedicated allocation.
Good to Know
- Only a handful of Indian states, including a few with historically strong regional political traditions, chose to retain a Legislative Council. Creating or abolishing one requires a parliamentary law, following a specific state resolution process.
- An Empowered Group of Ministers is a special Cabinet committee. It is formed to examine a specific complex issue in depth and recommend a policy response, outside the normal ministry-by-ministry process.
- Comparing Union and State legislatures shows a broadly similar structure. But the Union Parliament has certain exclusive powers, like exclusive jurisdiction over Union List subjects, that no single state legislature can match.
- Different Union Territories are administered with varying degrees of self-governance. Some, like Delhi and Puducherry, have their own elected legislatures with limited powers, while others are run more directly by their Administrator.
Test Yourself
Great to Know
- The bicameral-versus-unicameral choice for a state often reflects specific historical and political circumstances, rather than any single constitutional principle. The Constitution permits either structure, leaving the actual choice to each state’s own legislative and political process.
- MPLADS has drawn genuine debate. Supporters argue it lets MPs respond directly to local development needs, while critics argue it blurs the line between a legislator’s law-making role and an executive-style development-spending role.
- The variation in Union Territory administration — some with legislatures, some without — illustrates a broader pattern in India’s governance design. Uniform categories like “state” and “Union Territory” still allow for meaningfully different degrees of actual self-governance underneath.
- Two common traps: a Legislative Council is capped at one-third of the Legislative Assembly’s size under Article 171, not half or more. And the Council elects its own Chairman from among its members — the Governor does not nominate the Chairman.
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