From the outset of an independent India in 1947, language provided the rationale for political boundaries, as large states were carved from different linguistic regions. But as India has evolved into the world’s second most populous country, with 1.2 billion people, the political map also became focused on improving government efficiency, reducing corruption and ensuring an equitable allocation of resources.

Some analysts note that smaller states have proved more effective, as far as good government, yet India still has several states larger than most countries. Uttar Pradesh, home to 8 percent of the world’s poorest people, has more than 160 million people.

Three new states were created in 2000, raising the national total to 28 states and 7 territories administered by the central government, but in recent years the Congress Party has pledged to convene a special commission to examine national political borders, a pledge that, as yet, remains unfulfilled.

Beyond Telangana, India has a handful of other localized statehood movements, notably in the Gurkha region of the state of West Bengal, and it remains unclear whether these movements will regain momentum.

“As a nation, we are young,” said Ramachandra Guha, a historian who has written about India’s federalist evolution. “We are still grappling with how to organize our system of government.”

The roots of the Telangana movement can be traced to origins of democratic India. Before independence, Telangana was a princely state that existed outside British control. Hyderabad, the capital of the region, was a largely Muslim enclave.

With the end of British rule, Telangana existed as a separate state until November 1956, when it was merged with state of Andhra to create Andhra Pradesh, with Hyderabad as its capital.