Article 1: Name and Territory of the Union

Article 1 union is the opening provision of the Constitution and the one that names the country and fixes what its territory consists of. It sits in Part I, "The Union and its Territory," and although brief, its wording was deliberately chosen to settle both a naming question and a question about the nature of the Indian polity.

Text of Article 1

Article 1 reads: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States. (2) The States and the territories thereof shall be as specified in the First Schedule. (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."

"India, that is Bharat": Settling the Name

There was no unanimity in the Constituent Assembly on what to call the new country. Some members favoured the traditional name Bharat, others the modern name India. During the debate on 18 September 1949, H.V. Kamath argued for a construction along the lines of the Irish Constitution's model, urging precise constitutional language rather than a formulation that might invite disputes of interpretation. The Assembly ultimately settled on the composite formula "India, that is Bharat," using both names together rather than choosing one over the other.

"Union of States," Not "Federation of States"

Article 1 deliberately avoids the word "federation," even though the Constitution is federal in structure. According to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the phrase "Union of States" was preferred for two reasons: first, the Indian federation is not the outcome of an agreement among previously independent states, unlike the American federation; second, the constituent states have no right to secede from the Union. Because the Union is indestructible, the country is treated as an integral whole, divided into states purely for administrative convenience rather than as a voluntary compact that units could later withdraw from.

Three Categories of Territory

Article 1(3) divides the territory of India into three categories:

1. Territories of the States — the states, as members of the federal system, sharing a distribution of powers with the Centre.
2. Union territories — specified in the First Schedule, directly administered by the Central government.
3. Territories that may be acquired — any additional territory India may acquire in the future, also under direct Central administration.

This makes "territory of India" a wider expression than "Union of India": the latter includes only the states, while the former also includes Union territories and any acquired territories.

How Acquisition of Territory Works

Being a sovereign state, India can acquire foreign territory through modes recognised by international law — cession by treaty, purchase, gift, lease, or plebiscite; occupation of territory not held by any recognised ruler; or conquest or subjugation. Since the Constitution commenced, India has acquired territories including Dadra and Nagar Haveli; Goa, Daman and Diu; Puducherry; and Sikkim.

Present Composition

The First Schedule lists the names of the states and Union territories along with their territorial extent. The number of states and Union territories has changed considerably since 1950 through reorganisation, most significantly via the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, and more recent changes such as the creation of Telangana and the 2019 reorganisation of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Category	Administered by	Example
States	Shared powers between state and Centre	Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu
Union territories	Directly by the Central government	Puducherry, Chandigarh
Acquired territories	Directly by the Central government	Goa, Daman and Diu (historically)

Why This Matters for Federalism

Article 1's framing — "Union of States" rather than "Federation of States," combined with the absence of a right to secede — underlies the description of the Indian federation as a strong-Centre model, sometimes compared to the Canadian model rather than the American one, given its preference for the term "Union" and its centralising tendencies.

UPSC Relevance

Prelims: The exact text of Article 1, the reasons Ambedkar gave for "Union of States," and the three categories of Indian territory are commonly tested.

Mains: GS Paper II questions may ask candidates to explain why India is called an "indestructible Union" and how this shapes India's federal character.

FAQ

Q1. Does Article 1 use the word "federation"? No — the Constitution never uses the word "federation"; Article 1 describes India as a "Union of States."

Q2. Can a state secede from the Indian Union? No — according to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's explanation, states have no right to secede, making the Union indestructible.

Q3. What are the three categories of territory under Article 1(3)? Territories of the states, Union territories specified in the First Schedule, and any other territories that may be acquired.

Q4. Is "territory of India" the same as "Union of India"? No — "territory of India" is broader, covering states, Union territories, and acquired territories, while "Union of India" refers only to the states.

Q5. Where are the names and territorial extent of states and Union territories listed? In the First Schedule of the Constitution.

Quick Revision

• Article 1: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States."
• "Union," not "Federation" — deliberate choice per Ambedkar.
• States cannot secede; the Union is indestructible.
• Territory = states + Union territories + acquired territories.
• First Schedule lists states and Union territories.

Sources

• The Constitution of India, Article 1, Part I — legislative.gov.in
• Constituent Assembly Debates, 18 September 1949 (H.V. Kamath) — official CAD records

Further Reference

For deeper reading on this topic and the wider polity syllabus, these standard works are recommended:

• M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity (McGraw Hill) — the standard UPSC handbook.
• D.D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India (LexisNexis) — authoritative constitutional-law treatment.
• The Constitution of India — Bare Act — the official text.

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