A chief minister is the
head of government of each of the twenty-eight states and of three union territories (Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry).[5] According to the
Constitution of India, at the state level, the
governor is de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister.[6] Following elections to the
state legislative assembly, the governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose
council of ministers are
collectively responsible to the assembly.[5] The chief minister's term is usually for a maximum of five years with the confidence of the assembly. There are no limits to the
number of terms the chief minister can serve.[7] The deputy Chief Minister is a member of the state government and usually the second highest ranking executive officer of their state's council of ministers.[8] While not a constitutional office, it seldom carries any specific powers. A deputy chief minister usually also holds a cabinet portfolio such as home minister or finance minister.[9] In the parliamentary system of government, the Chief Minister is treated as the "first among equals" in the cabinet; the position of deputy chief minister is used to bring political stability and strength within a coalition government.[10]
Five of the INC chief ministers have been women –
Sucheta Kripalani for
Uttar Pradesh,
Nandini Satpathy for
Odisha,
Anwara Taimur for
Assam,
Rajinder Kaur Bhattal for
Punjab, and
Sheila Dikshit for
Delhi. The longest-serving female chief minister was Sheila Dikshit, who served as the chief minister of Delhi for over fifteen years.[11]Okram Ibobi Singh who was chief minister of
Manipur for 15 years and 11 days between March 2002 and March 2017 has been the longest-serving chief minister of the state.[12]Tarun Gogoi held the position of Chief Minister in Assam for a period of 15 years and 6 days.[13] A leader of the Indian National Congress,
Virbhadra Singh holds the distinction of being the longest serving Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, holding the office from 1983 to 1990, from 1993 to 1998, from 2003 to 2007 and finally from 2012 to 2017.[14]Gegong Apang has not only been the longest-serving Chief Minister from the INC but also in the history of
Arunachal Pradesh.[15] Apang also holds the record for the
fourth-longest-serving Chief Minister of an Indian state, holding the post for over twenty-two years.[16]
^The Andhra State was established on 1 October 1953, following the Andhra movement
^United Andhra Pradesh, was officially established on 1 November 1956, through the enactment of the States Reorganisation Act in August 1956. This led to the dissolution of
Hyderabad State, with its divisions becoming part of
Mysore State and
Bombay State.
^The first Legislative Assembly of Chhattisgarh was constituted by the
MLAs elected in the 1998 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, whose constituencies were in the newly formed Chhattisgarh.[23]
^While the Assembly website calls the pre-1950 officeholders "Premiers of West Bengal",[75] the Times of India points out that they were universally referred to as "Prime Ministers of West Bengal" at the time.[76]
^This refers to the 90-member
rump legislature that emerged following partition, representing the West Bengali constituencies of the erstwhile
Bengal Legislative Assembly. It was constituted under the
Government of India Act 1935, not the Indian Constitution, which was still in the process of being drafted.[77]
^Following the promulgation of the Constitution of India, the provincial assembly carried on as the legislative assembly of West Bengal until fresh elections could be organised in 1952.[77]
^Until March 1952, Roy did not represent any constituency. For his last three months in office, during the Third Assembly, Roy represented
Chowringhee constituency.
^According to some sources, Sen also acted as interim chief minister during 2–8 July 1962.[79]
^Desai, S. H. (1972). A critical study of the development of secondary education for girls in Gujarat its history and present day problems (PhD thesis). Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. pp. 411–420.
hdl:
10603/57937 – via Shodhganga : a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET.
^"Nagaland Chief Minister". The Times of India. 27 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
^Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917]. Roach, Peter; Hartmann, James; Setter, Jane (eds.). English Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN3-12-539683-2.
A chief minister is the
head of government of each of the twenty-eight states and of three union territories (Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry).[5] According to the
Constitution of India, at the state level, the
governor is de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister.[6] Following elections to the
state legislative assembly, the governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose
council of ministers are
collectively responsible to the assembly.[5] The chief minister's term is usually for a maximum of five years with the confidence of the assembly. There are no limits to the
number of terms the chief minister can serve.[7] The deputy Chief Minister is a member of the state government and usually the second highest ranking executive officer of their state's council of ministers.[8] While not a constitutional office, it seldom carries any specific powers. A deputy chief minister usually also holds a cabinet portfolio such as home minister or finance minister.[9] In the parliamentary system of government, the Chief Minister is treated as the "first among equals" in the cabinet; the position of deputy chief minister is used to bring political stability and strength within a coalition government.[10]
Five of the INC chief ministers have been women –
Sucheta Kripalani for
Uttar Pradesh,
Nandini Satpathy for
Odisha,
Anwara Taimur for
Assam,
Rajinder Kaur Bhattal for
Punjab, and
Sheila Dikshit for
Delhi. The longest-serving female chief minister was Sheila Dikshit, who served as the chief minister of Delhi for over fifteen years.[11]Okram Ibobi Singh who was chief minister of
Manipur for 15 years and 11 days between March 2002 and March 2017 has been the longest-serving chief minister of the state.[12]Tarun Gogoi held the position of Chief Minister in Assam for a period of 15 years and 6 days.[13] A leader of the Indian National Congress,
Virbhadra Singh holds the distinction of being the longest serving Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, holding the office from 1983 to 1990, from 1993 to 1998, from 2003 to 2007 and finally from 2012 to 2017.[14]Gegong Apang has not only been the longest-serving Chief Minister from the INC but also in the history of
Arunachal Pradesh.[15] Apang also holds the record for the
fourth-longest-serving Chief Minister of an Indian state, holding the post for over twenty-two years.[16]
^The Andhra State was established on 1 October 1953, following the Andhra movement
^United Andhra Pradesh, was officially established on 1 November 1956, through the enactment of the States Reorganisation Act in August 1956. This led to the dissolution of
Hyderabad State, with its divisions becoming part of
Mysore State and
Bombay State.
^The first Legislative Assembly of Chhattisgarh was constituted by the
MLAs elected in the 1998 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, whose constituencies were in the newly formed Chhattisgarh.[23]
^While the Assembly website calls the pre-1950 officeholders "Premiers of West Bengal",[75] the Times of India points out that they were universally referred to as "Prime Ministers of West Bengal" at the time.[76]
^This refers to the 90-member
rump legislature that emerged following partition, representing the West Bengali constituencies of the erstwhile
Bengal Legislative Assembly. It was constituted under the
Government of India Act 1935, not the Indian Constitution, which was still in the process of being drafted.[77]
^Following the promulgation of the Constitution of India, the provincial assembly carried on as the legislative assembly of West Bengal until fresh elections could be organised in 1952.[77]
^Until March 1952, Roy did not represent any constituency. For his last three months in office, during the Third Assembly, Roy represented
Chowringhee constituency.
^According to some sources, Sen also acted as interim chief minister during 2–8 July 1962.[79]
^Desai, S. H. (1972). A critical study of the development of secondary education for girls in Gujarat its history and present day problems (PhD thesis). Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. pp. 411–420.
hdl:
10603/57937 – via Shodhganga : a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET.
^"Nagaland Chief Minister". The Times of India. 27 March 2023.
Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
^Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917]. Roach, Peter; Hartmann, James; Setter, Jane (eds.). English Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN3-12-539683-2.