The Changing Nature of India's Federal System and Center-State Relations After 2014: Political And Constitutional Dimensions

The Indian federal system, defined by the Constitution as a ‘Union of States’, has historically shown a centralizing tendency, yet it has also attempted to accommodate regional diversity. Since 2014, center-state relations in India have undergone significant transformations due to political centralization, institutional restructuring, fiscal reforms, and judicial interventions. The dominance of a single party at the center, the restructuring of planning and financial mechanisms, the increasing role of central investigative agencies, and events such as the abrogation of Article 370 have redefined the federal balance. This research paper critically examines the changing nature of center-state relations in India after 2014 and highlights the gap between the rhetoric of cooperative federalism and the reality of centralization. A key objective of this study is to contextualize the Indian federal experience within the framework of comparative federal theory.