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SSC CGL Indian States — Capital, CM, Governor

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Concept Notes

Indian States — Capital, CM, Governor— Rules & Concept

Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic

Every state has three key positions

a Chief Minister (CM), a Governor, and a Capital city. SSC CGL regularly tests all three. You must know current holders and basic constitutional rules. --- KEY RULES / PROPERTIES --- 1. GOVERNOR — Appointed by the President of India.

Not elected. Acts as the constitutional head of the state. Tenure is 5 years but can be removed earlier by the President. 2. CHIEF MINISTER — Elected indirectly.

Leader of the majority party in the State Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha). CM is the real executive head of the state. 3. UNION TERRITORIES — UTs are governed by a Lieutenant Governor (LG) or Administrator appointed by the President. Delhi and Puducherry have their own elected governments and CMs. 4.

ONE GOVERNOR, TWO STATES — One Governor can hold charge of more than one state at the same time. This is called 'additional charge'. 5. CAPITAL TYPES — Some states have more than one capital

Example

Himachal Pradesh has Shimla (summer capital) and Dharamshala (winter capital). Jammu & Kashmir (UT) has Srinagar (summer) and Jammu (winter). ---

Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

(HOW QUESTIONS ARE ASKED) --- SSC CGL asks questions in four main ways: • Direct fact: 'Who is the Governor of Maharashtra?' • Reverse fact: 'Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is the Governor of which state?' • Capital-based: 'What is the capital of Telangana?' — Answer: Hyderabad • Constitutional rule: 'Who appoints the Governor of a state?' About 60% of questions are direct, 40% are reverse or tricky. So always study both ways — know the person AND the state they belong to. ---

Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper

No mathematical formula applies here. But use this memory framework:

STATE → CAPITAL → CM → GOVERNOR

Learn each state as a chain of four facts.

Shortcut Formula for remembering appointment:

President appoints GOVERNOR → Governor appoints CM (based on majority in Vidhan Sabha)

--- SHORTCUT / TRICKS ---

TRICK 1 — GROUP BY REGION:

Cluster states by region. North India: UP, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan. Learn these 6 together. Then move to South, East, West, Northeast. This reduces memory load by 60%.

TRICK 2 — DUAL CAPITAL STATES (HIGH PRIORITY LIST):

Memory HookRemember this — never confuse the two again

short list: Maharashtra (Mumbai + Nagpur for winter session), Himachal Pradesh (Shimla + Dharamshala), J&K UT (Srinagar + Jammu), Andhra Pradesh (Amaravati — ongoing development). These are favourite

Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these

TRICK 3 — NEW STATES SHORTCUT: Telangana (formed 2014) — Capital: Hyderabad. It is the NEWEST state of India. This is asked in almost every exam.

Remember: Telangana = 29th state at time of formation, now 28 states exist after J&K was made a UT in 2019. ---

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on

1

Step 1

Delhi is a Union Territory, not a state.

2

Step 2

UTs are governed by LGs or Administrators.

3

Step 3

The President of India appoints the LG. Answer: President of India. --- WORKED EXAMPLE 2 --- Question: Which is the capital of Uttarakhand?

1

Step 1

Uttarakhand was formed in 2000 from Uttar Pradesh.

2

Step 2

Many students confuse Dehradun with Nainital.

3

Step 3

Dehradun is the interim/functional capital. Gairsain is the summer capital (declared in 2020). Answer: Dehradun (interim capital); Gairsain (summer/declared capital). Exam usually accepts Dehradun. --- COMMON MISTAKE (THE #1 TRAP) --- Students confuse Governor with CM. Remember: Governor is APPOINTED by the President and is the constitutional head. CM is ELECTED (indirectly) and is the real/executive head. Exam asks this distinction directly. Also, students often mark the OLD Governor or CM. Always revise the CURRENT holders one week before the exam from a reliable source like the official state government website.

Key Points to Remember

India has 28 States and 8 Union Territories as of 2019 (after J&K reorganisation).
Governor is appointed by the President of India — NOT elected by the public.
Chief Minister is the real executive head; Governor is the constitutional/nominal head.
Shortcut: President → appoints Governor → Governor appoints CM (based on assembly majority).
Telangana is the newest state (formed June 2, 2014) with capital Hyderabad — most frequently asked.
One Governor can hold additional charge of more than one state simultaneously.
Dual capital trick: J&K UT (Srinagar/Jammu), Himachal Pradesh (Shimla/Dharamshala) — high exam priority.
Delhi and Puducherry are UTs with elected governments; they have CMs AND Lieutenant Governors.
Shortcut: UTs without legislature are run directly by LG/Administrator appointed by President.
Shortcut: Governor's tenure is 5 years, but President can remove before tenure ends — no fixed security of tenure.

Exam-Specific Tips

Telangana was formed on June 2, 2014 — it is the most recently formed state of India.
Jammu & Kashmir was reorganised into two Union Territories (J&K and Ladakh) on October 31, 2019.
The capital of Andhra Pradesh is Amaravati (officially designated; under development).
Gairsain was declared the summer capital of Uttarakhand in March 2020; Dehradun remains the functional capital.
Article 153 of the Indian Constitution states there shall be a Governor for each state.
Article 164 deals with appointment of the Chief Minister — appointed by the Governor.
The President of India appoints Governors under Article 155 of the Constitution.
Itanagar is the capital of Arunachal Pradesh — frequently confused with other Northeast capitals.

Practice MCQs

Indian States — Capital, CM, Governor — Practice Questions

24graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis · showing 20 of 24

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Practice 1easy

Which of the following pairs of State and Capital is INCORRECT?

Practice 2easy

Which state has Thiruvananthapuram as its capital?

Practice 3easy

Which of the following states has Gangtok as its capital?

Practice 4easy

Who is the Chief Minister of Rajasthan as of 2024?

Practice 5easy

Which of the following is the capital of Chhattisgarh?

Practice 6easy

Who is the Governor of Maharashtra as of 2024?

Practice 7easy

What is the capital of the state of Telangana?

Practice 8easy

Who is the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh as of 2024?

Practice 9medium

Which state has Gandhinagar as its capital and is currently headed by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel?

Practice 10medium

Imphal is the capital of Manipur. Which of the following is the correct pairing of Manipur's Governor and the constitutional article that defines the Governor's role in state administration?

Practice 11medium

Which of the following states has its capital at Ranchi and is currently governed by a Chief Minister from the JMM party (as of 2024)?

Practice 12medium

Thiruvananthapuram is the capital of which state, and which constitutional article grants the Governor of that state the power to reserve bills for the President's consideration?

Practice 13medium

Which state has Kohima as its capital and is known as the 'Land of the Gods'?

Practice 14medium

Which state has Gandhinagar as its capital and is bordered by Pakistan to the west?

Practice 15medium

As of 2024, who is the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh?

Practice 16medium

Which city serves as the capital of the state of Telangana?

Practice 17medium

Which of the following states has its capital at Ranchi and is currently governed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren?

Practice 18medium

Which state has Lucknow as its capital and is governed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath?

Practice 19hard

Which state has a bicameral legislature (both upper and lower houses) with the upper house known as the Legislative Council?

Practice 20hard

As per the 2011 Census, which state has the highest population density among all Indian states?

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60-Second Revision — Indian States — Capital, CM, Governor

Remember: Governor = Appointed by President (Article 155); CM = Appointed by Governor based on assembly majority (Article 164).
Trap: Do NOT confuse Governor (constitutional head) with CM (real/executive head) — exam tests this directly.
Formula chain: President appoints Governor → Governor appoints CM → CM runs the state government.
Remember: Telangana (capital Hyderabad, formed 2014) is the newest state — appears in almost every exam.
Dual capitals to memorise: J&K UT = Srinagar (summer) + Jammu (winter); Himachal = Shimla + Dharamshala.
Trap: J&K is now a UT (since Oct 31, 2019), NOT a state — do not write it as a state in answers.
Revise current CM and Governor names from an updated source 1 week before exam — these change frequently.

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