List Of Chief Ministers Of States In India: Current CMs Roles, Constitutional Provisions, Powers And Facts

As per the Indian Constitution there are two executive authorities in any state. One is the Nominal Executive Authority borne by the Governor of the state and second one is Real Executive Authority which is borne by the Chief Minister of State. While the Governor is the Head of State, the Chief Minister is the Head of the Government.

Today we are going to learn about the head of the State Government i.e. Chief Minister. You will find relevant questions from the topic of Chief Ministers and their powers in various competitive exams like SSC, Bank, Railways, UPSC etc. So let's know about the constitutional provisions, powers and names of Chief Ministers state-wise.

Chief Ministers of States/UTs

The Republic of India is a union of 28 states and 8 Union Territories. According to the new Gazette of India 2019, India would have 30 Chief Ministers, 28 from States and 3 from Union Territories namely; Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Pondicherry. Currently Jammu and Kashmir has no Chief Minister. The whole sole Administrative execution is under the lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha there.

Term And Appointment Of Chief Ministers

Article 163 of Indian Constitution provides for the formation of a council of ministers with the Chief Minister as its head and Article 164 briefs us about the appointment of Chief Minister.

So the Chief Minister is usually the leader of the party in majority in the state Legislative assembly. He is appointed by the Governor of State for a period of 5 years. The term of office for Chief Ministers of India is for a maximum of five years but it is not limited to the number of terms to serve as CM. Also there is no fixed term of Chief Minister, as he holds the office during the pleasure of the Governor.

In case of sudden demise of the Chief Minister, the Governor may exercise his individual judgment to select and appoint a person as the head of the council of ministers. But if the ruling party elects a new leader, the Governor has to respect the majority he has to appoint that person as the Chief Minister.

Power And Functions Of Chief Ministers

A Chief Minister is the elected head of the council of ministers in a state who rules and regulates the functions of a particular state. Here we are listing the powers and functions of Chief Ministers as follows.

• As the Chief Minister is the head of the council of Ministers, on his recommendation, ministers are appointed by the Governor.
• He has the power to allocate and reshuffle the portfolios among ministers.
• He is the main communicator between the Governor and the Council of Ministers who conveys the matters of administrative affairs.
• The role of CM is crucial as he advises the Governor regarding the appointments of Advocate General, State Election Commissioner, Chairman and the Members of the State Public Service Commission etc.
• The Chief Minister is the Chairman of the State Planning Board.
• He also acts as the Vice -Chairman of the Concerned Zonal Council by rotation, in which he can hold the office charge of the office for a period of one year at a time. In general the Union Home Minister acts as the Chairman of all the Zonal Councils.
• He is the Chief-spokesperson of the state-government and the Crisis- Manager in chief at the time of political crisis in the state.

Articles On Chief Minister

Under Article 163, 164 and 167; the appointment, duties and functions of Chief Minister are defined. Let's have a look at these articles.

ARTICLE 163: It states that there shall be a council of ministers with the chief minister as its head to aid and advise the Governor on the exercise of his functions.
ARTICLE 164: The article mentions three points:

• The Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and on the advice of the CM, the members of the Council of Ministers shall be appointed.
• The Ministers shall hole the office during the pleasure of the Governor.
• The responsibility of the Legislative Assembly shall be on the shoulders of the Council of Ministers.

ARTICLE 167: It briefs about the duties of the Chief Minister.

• The Chief Minister has to communicate to the Governor all the decisions of the council of ministers regarding administrative affairs and policy making legislatures.
• To furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the State and proposals for legislation as the Governor may call for; and
• If the Governor so requires, to submit for the consideration of the Council of Ministers any matter on which a decision has been taken by a Minister but which has not been considered by the Council.

Interesting Facts on Chief Ministers

• The Chief minister of West-Bengal Mamta Banerjee is the only serving woman CM since March 5 2000, for more than 22 years in India.
• THe Chief Minister of Mizoram Zoramthanga, born on 13 July 1944 is the oldest Chief Minister of Indian State.
• Prema Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh is the Youngest CM in India.
• Naveen Patnaik , the CM of Odisha is the longest serving Chief Minister of any Indian State. He is the third Indian chief Minister after Pawan Chamling and Jyoti Basu to win five consecutive terms as Chief Minister of an Indian state
• The Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar has served for most terms 7.
• The minimum age to be eligible to become the Chief Minister is 25 years.

List Of Chief Ministers Of States 2022