Delhi

The question of Delhi’s statehood has long been a topic of considerable debate, raising critical discussions about its legal and political standing within the Indian Union. As the capital city of India, Delhi holds a unique position, straddling the line between being a national hub and an autonomous entity with its own governance structure.

Before independence, Delhi was a part of the North West Provinces as well as Oudh (present-day UP). In 1849, the East India Company transferred Delhi to the British Punjab, where it remained as a division till 1911.

During the second Coronation Durbar in 1911, King George V declared Delhi the new capital of India, replacing Calcutta. In 1912, Delhi was announced as a chief commissioner’s province with William Malcolm Hailey as the first incumbent.

The name ‘New Delhi’ (also known as 'Lutyens Delhi') was given in 1927. Despite the decision being made in 1911, imperial administration shifted from Calcutta to Delhi only in 1931, once the Lutyens construction was completed. When India became independent, Delhi continued as the capital of India. Since it was already administered by a chief commissioner, it was classified as a centrally administered Part C state when India adopted its Constitution on 26 January 1950.

In 1951, the Government gave Delhi a council of ministers responsible for local legislature and to aid the chief commissioner. This also gave Delhi its first CM, Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Yadav of the INC, albeit with limited legislative powers in 1952.

When the States Reorganization Commission was constituted in 1953, there were requests to create a Greater Delhi State including districts from UP, Punjab, and Rajasthan. Simultaneously, 97 MLAs put forth a memorandum demanding the merger of western and hill districts of UP and Delhi.

In opposition, G.B. Pant and P.B. Tandon intervened and gave a counter memorandum to the SRC urging it to retain the existing boundaries of UP since it allowed for large-scale developmental projects. Both K.M. Panikker and B.R. Ambedkar were not pleased with Pant's argument.

The SRC rejected both requests, to preserve the diarchical structure of dual control that existed - central control of the national capital along with state-level autonomy. Delhi was therefore made a Union Territory under the direct administration of the government.

In 1961, the Government of India passed the Government of Union Territories Act, which allowed for Legislative Assemblies and councils of ministers in some large Union Territories, but Delhi stood 'in a class by itself,' indicating its unique status.

As a compromise, the Delhi Administration Act (1966) was passed. The Act reconstituted the Municipal Corporation as the Metropolitan Council, marginally expanded its powers, and redesignated the centrally appointed officer from Chief Commissioner to Lieutenant Governor.

Thereafter, in 1985, Parliament passed the National Capital Region Planning Board Act. This act imagined the development and evolution of policies for the national capital of Delhi as well as the surrounding districts from the neighbouring states. This cohesive region, as per the 1985 Act, was designated as the National Capital Region (NCR). Spanning 23 districts the region was (and continued to be) over 23 times the area of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.

In 1987, the Centre finally created the Sarkaria Committee to deal with the Delhi issue. The committee recommended continuing Delhi as a UT with the lieutenant governor as administrator but also providing for a popular government in the form of an elected legislative assembly.

Finally, Delhi was constituted as a Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly, council of ministers, and an elected chief minister with a limited mandate as per the NCT of Delhi Act, 1991 which provided Delhi a special status vis-a-vis the other UTs.

Madan Lal Khurana

In 1993, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a majority in what were the first legislative assembly elections. Madan Lal Khurana was made the Chief Minister of Delhi.

Since the attainment of partial statehood, pressing matters of concern have been the office of the Lieutenant Governor, which has overriding powers, especially in matters concerning land, law and order, and appointment of senior officials, and the expanding population of Delhi NCR.

Sources: Administrative Atlas of India (2011); Origin Story of India’s States (2020) Venkata Raghavns; We the People of the States of Bharat (2022) Chopra Sanjeev.