What Happens when a State becomes Union Territory (UT)?

Before answering the question 'what happens when a State becomes Union Territory', it is important for us to know the present situation of the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill-2019 that aims to bifurcate the state of Jammu & Kashmir into Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh along with scrapping of Article 370 and Article 35-A. 

The Jammu Reorganisation Bill-2019 was passed by Rajya Sabha with 125 votes in favor and 61  votes against this bill. This bill is now introduced in Lok sabha and discussions are underway.

Now, to answer that question, here are some of the changes that will take place when a state (Jammu & Kashmir) becomes Union Territory:

In simple term, States have their own elected government, but in Union Territory (UT) is administered by the Central Government. The state is administered by Cheif minister, whereas UT is administered by Administrator appointed by President.

The states have the Governor as its executive head, in UTs, President is its executive head.

A state mandatorily has its own Legislative Assembly and make law for the state, for UT, it is not mandatory to have a Legislative Assembly but there is a provision that allows setting up Legislative Assembly in UT in the case of Puducherry and Delhi (now, Jammu & Kashmir). Other 5 UTs in India are without it.

Powers in states are distributed through Federal mode that is powers divided between states and center. Whereas, in case of UTs, powers are Unitary in nature that is power is in the hands of the Center.

In the case of Jammu & Kashmir, now all central laws will be applicable in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, which was not the case earlier.