Indian Constitution Parts: All 25 Parts, Key Articles for UPSC

Quick Answer: The Indian Constitution currently has 25 Parts. The original Constitution adopted in 1950 had 22 Parts. Three Parts were added later — Part IVA (Fundamental Duties, 42nd Amendment, 1976), Part IXA (Municipalities, 74th Amendment, 1992) and Part XIVA (Tribunals, 97th Amendment context) — while Part IXB (Co-operative Societies) came via the 97th Amendment, 2011, and Part VII was deleted by the 7th Amendment, 1956. This is one of the most repeated facts in UPSC Prelims and SSC exams.

The parts of the Indian Constitution form the skeleton of the entire document — and examiners love testing them. In this exam-ready guide, we list all 25 Parts with their key Articles, explain which Parts were added or deleted by amendment, and close with a memory table, PYQs and mnemonics built for revision speed.

Parts I to IV: Union, States, Fundamental Rights and Duties

The Constitution opens with the Preamble, which is not a Part, and then moves into Part I. Part I (Articles 1–4) defines the territory of India and names it the “Union of States.” Article 1 declares India a Union of States; Article 3 empowers Parliament to form new states and alter areas, boundaries or names — a favourite Prelims pairing.

Part II (Articles 5–11) deals with citizenship — who was a citizen at commencement and Parliament’s power to regulate citizenship by law. Part III (Articles 12–35) contains Fundamental Rights: equality (14–18), freedom (19–22), against exploitation (23–24), freedom of religion (25–28), cultural and educational rights (29–30), and constitutional remedies (32). Part IV (Articles 36–51) contains the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs), borrowed from the Irish Constitution. Part IVA (Article 51A) lists the Fundamental Duties — originally 10, added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976, with an 11th duty (education of children aged 6–14) added by the 86th Amendment, 2002.

Parts V and VI: The Union and State Executive

Part V (Articles 52–151) covers the Union Government: the President (52–62), Vice-President (63–73), Council of Ministers and PM (74–75), Attorney General (76), Parliament (79–122), and the Union Judiciary — the Supreme Court (124–147) — plus the CAG (148–151).

Part VI (Articles 152–237) mirrors this structure for States: Governor (153–167), Council of Ministers and CM, State Legislature, High Courts (214–231) and subordinate courts. The Governor’s powers under Articles 200 and 201 (assent to Bills) and Article 356 (President’s Rule, though located in Part XVIII) are frequently cross-tested.

Parts VII to XII: States in B, C, D Categories, Panchayats, UTs and Scheduled Areas

This stretch is where most aspirants slip, so read carefully:

• Part VII — dealt with Part B States; deleted by the 7th Constitutional Amendment, 1956, after states were reorganised on a linguistic basis.
• Part VIII (Articles 239–241) — Union Territories, including the special status of Delhi under Article 239A/239AA.
• Part IX (Articles 243–243O) — Panchayats, inserted by the 73rd Amendment, 1992, giving constitutional status to rural local government.
• Part IXA (Articles 243P–243ZG) — Municipalities, inserted by the 74th Amendment, 1992, for urban local government.
• Part IXB (Articles 243ZH–243ZT) — Co-operative Societies, inserted by the 97th Amendment, 2011.
• Part X (Articles 244–244A) — Scheduled and Tribal Areas; Article 244 applies Fifth and Sixth Schedule provisions.
• Part XI (Articles 245–263) — Relations between the Union and the States, including Article 263 (Inter-State Council).
• Part XII (Articles 264–293) — Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits; includes the Finance Commission (Article 280).

Exam-style distinction: Part IX = Panchayats (rural); Part IXA = Municipalities (urban). Both came in 1992 but through different Amendment Acts with different numbers.

Parts XIII to XVI: Trade, Services, Elections and Special Provisions

Part XIII (Articles 301–307) covers Trade, Commerce and Intercourse within India. Part XIV (Articles 308–323) deals with Services under the Union and States, including UPSC and State PSCs. Part XIVA (Articles 323A–323B), added by the 42nd Amendment, provides for Administrative Tribunals. Part XV (Articles 324–329) covers Elections — Article 324 establishing the Election Commission is one of the most quoted Articles in Prelims. Part XVI (Articles 330–342A) contains Special Provisions for SCs, STs, Anglo-Indians and OBCs, including reservation in legislatures.

Parts XVII to XXII: Emergency, Amendment and Miscellaneous Provisions

Part XVII (Articles 343–351) deals with Official Language — Article 343 makes Hindi in Devanagari script the official language of the Union; the Eighth Schedule lists 22 languages. Part XVIII (Articles 352–360) contains Emergency Provisions — National Emergency (352), President’s Rule (356), Financial Emergency (360). Part XIX (Articles 361–367) covers Miscellaneous exemptions and interpretations, including Presidential immunity. Part XX (Article 368) — the single most important Article for Polity — deals with the amendment of the Constitution and powers of Parliament, read with the Basic Structure doctrine from Kesavananda Bharati (1973). Part XXI (Articles 369–392) holds Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions, and Part XXII (Articles 393–395) contains the Short Title, Commencement and Repeals — including the repeal of the Government of India Act, 1935.

Parts Added by Amendment: IVA, IXA, IXB, XIVA Explained

Remember: the 86th Amendment (2002) did not add a new Part — it added Article 21A (Right to Education) to Part III and the 11th Fundamental Duty to Part IVA.

Memory Table: All 25 Parts with Articles at a Glance

For authoritative verification, always cross-check with the full Constitution text at the Ministry of Law and Justice or the Press Information Bureau for amendment notifications.

Landmark Articles Examiners Repeat Every Year

• Article 14 — Equality before law; the gateway Article of Part III, often paired with “reasonable classification.”
• Article 21 — Right to life and personal liberty; expanded by judicial interpretation (privacy, environment, speedy trial).
• Article 32 — Right to Constitutional Remedies; Dr. Ambedkar called it the “heart and soul” of the Constitution.
• Article 44 — Uniform Civil Code (a DPSP in Part IV, not a right).
• Article 51A — Fundamental Duties, Part IVA.
• Article 356 — President’s Rule, Part XVIII — often confused as belonging to Part VI.
• Article 368 — Amendment power, Part XX; read with Basic Structure doctrine.
• Article 61 — Procedure for impeachment of the President (Part V).
• Article 40 — Organisation of Village Panchayats (DPSP), the philosophical base for the 73rd Amendment.

Tricks and Mnemonics to Remember Parts in Order

Group the 25 Parts into six blocks and memorise the blocks rather than 25 items:

1. Identity block (I–II): Territory → Citizenship.
2. Rights block (III–IVA): Rights → DPSP → Duties.
3. Government block (V–VIII): Union → States → (deleted VII) → UTs.
4. Local block (IX–XII): Panchayats → Municipalities → Co-operatives → Scheduled Areas → Relations → Finance.
5. Economy-Elections block (XIII–XVI): Trade → Services → Tribunals → Elections → Special Provisions.
6. Wrap-up block (XVII–XXII): Language → Emergency → Misc. → Amendment → Transitional → Commencement.

A quick chain: “U-C-R-G-L-E-W” — Union, Citizenship, Rights, Government, Local, Elections, Wrap-up.

Previous Year UPSC and SSC Questions on Parts of the Constitution

1. (UPSC) Which Article deals with the amendment procedure? — Answer: Article 368 (Part XX).
2. (UPSC) Fundamental Duties were added on the recommendation of which committee? — Answer: Swaran Singh Committee; added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976 (Part IVA).
3. (SSC) The Panchayati Raj system got constitutional status under which Amendment? — Answer: 73rd Amendment, 1992 (Part IX).
4. (SSC) Which Part of the Constitution deals with the Election Commission? — Answer: Part XV, Article 324.
5. (UPSC) Part VII of the Constitution relates to — Answer: It was repealed (Part B States) by the 7th Amendment, 1956.
6. (SSC) Article 21A was inserted by which Amendment? — Answer: 86th Amendment, 2002 — Right to Education, Part III.
7. (UPSC) Which Article is called the “heart and soul” of the Constitution? — Answer: Article 32, per Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Common Mistakes Aspirants Make with Parts and Articles

• Confusing Part IX with Part IXA — Panchayats (rural) sit in IX; Municipalities (urban) in IXA.
• Forgetting Part VII was deleted — questions often ask “which Part does not exist,” and Part VII is the trap answer that is actually correct.
• Mixing Part XII with Part XIII — XII is Finance; XIII is Trade and Commerce.
• Placing Article 356 in Part VI — President’s Rule belongs to Part XVIII (Emergency), even though it concerns states.
• Counting the Preamble as a Part — the Preamble is not numbered among the 25 Parts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many parts did the original Indian Constitution have in 1950?

The original Constitution had 22 Parts. It now has 25 Parts after additions through the 42nd (IVA and XIVA), 73rd (IX), 74th (IXA), 86th (Art. 21A) and 97th (IXB) Amendments, with Part VII deleted in 1956.

Q: Which part of the Constitution deals with Fundamental Duties?

Part IVA, Article 51A, added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976. There are 11 Fundamental Duties in total, the 11th added by the 86th Amendment, 2002.

Q: Which part was deleted from the Constitution?

Part VII, which dealt with Part B States, was omitted by the 7th Constitutional Amendment, 1956, following the States Reorganisation Act.

Q: Under which part do Panchayats and Municipalities fall?

Panchayats fall under Part IX (Articles 243–243O) via the 73rd Amendment, and Municipalities under Part IXA (Articles 243P–243ZG) via the 74th Amendment — both in 1992.

Q: Which article deals with amendment of the Constitution?

Article 368 in Part XX. It provides for amendment by simple majority, special majority, or special majority plus ratification by half the states — subject to the Basic Structure doctrine evolved in Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973).

Related reading

• Fundamental Duties of India: Article 51A, 11 Duties and Swaran Singh Committee for UPSC
• Preamble of India: Keywords, 42nd Amendment Changes and Berubari to Kesavananda for UPSC

Related explainers

Regulating Act 1773 to Government of India Act 1935: Complete Timeline of Colonial Acts for UPSC Polity & History

Amendment of the Constitution: Article 368 Procedure, Simple vs Special Majority and Key Amendments Explained

DPSP in Focus: Articles 36–51, Directive Principles vs Fundamental Rights for UPSC Prelims