As of June 2017, how many states did the Republic of India have in its federal structure?

Introduction / Context:
India's political map has evolved over time, with new states being formed and some regions being reorganised. Competitive exams often ask about the number of states and Union Territories at specific points in time. This question focuses on the situation in June 2017, after the creation of Telangana but before the later reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir, making the exact count an important static GK fact.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The date reference is June 2017.
• We need the number of states in India at that time.
• Options are 26, 27, 28, and 29.
• We assume awareness of major state reorganisation events up to that year.

Concept / Approach:
Telangana was created as a separate state from Andhra Pradesh in June 2014. After this event, India had 29 states, including Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir as states, in addition to several Union Territories. The reduction to 28 states happened later when Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two Union Territories in 2019. Therefore, for any question pegged to June 2017, the correct state count is still 29.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that before the creation of Telangana, India had 28 states. Step 2: Telangana officially became a state on 2 June 2014, carved out of Andhra Pradesh. Step 3: After this formation, the number of states increased from 28 to 29. Step 4: No state level merger or downgrading occurred between 2014 and June 2017 that would reduce this number. Step 5: The reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories happened much later, on 31 October 2019. Step 6: Therefore, in June 2017, India still had 29 states.

Verification / Alternative check:
Many exam preparation sources explicitly address this question: how many states did India have as of June 2017, and they state 29 as the correct answer. Government and educational portals that list states and their formation dates also show Telangana among the states by 2017, without any reduction in the total count until 2019. Reviewing these references confirms that 29 is the correct figure for the specified date.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The number 26 is outdated and refers to an earlier period before several reorganisations. Options 27 and 28 also refer to transitional counts at different times, not to the situation after Telangana's creation and before Jammu and Kashmir's reorganisation. Since no event between 2014 and mid 2017 changed the number of states, none of these lower figures correctly represent the state count in June 2017.

Common Pitfalls:
A major source of confusion is mixing the present day count of states with past counts at specific dates. Learners may remember that India currently has 28 states and mistakenly apply that figure to older questions. The key is to carefully read the time reference in the question and align it with the correct historical timeline of state formation and reorganisation.

Final Answer:
As of June 2017, the Republic of India had 29 states in its federal structure.