Chief minister (India)
Head of government of a state or union territory in India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In India, a chief minister is the elected head of government of each state out of the 28[1] states and sometimes a union territory (UT). Currently, only the UTs of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry have serving chief ministers. According to the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister.
- Honourable
(Inside India) - His/Her Excellency (Outside India)
| Chief Minister of states/union territories | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
| Style |
|
| Type | Head of the state government |
| Status | Leader of the executive |
| Member of | Member of legislature of respective states and union territories of India |
| Reports to |
|
| Residence | Respective state capitals |
| Appointer | Governor by convention, based on appointee's ability to command confidence in the Legislative Assembly |
| Term length | Maxiumum of five years, given they have the confidence of the assembly No restriction on renewal |
| Constituting instrument | Article No. 163 and 164, Constitution of India |
| Deputy | Deputy chief minister |
| Salary | ₹405,000 (US$4,300) (incl. allowances) per month |
| Website | Chief Ministers of India |
Following elections to the State legislative assembly or Vidhan Sabha in a state, the state's governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. The governor appoints and swears in the chief minister, whose council of ministers are collectively responsible to the assembly. Based on the Westminster system, given that they retain the confidence of the assembly, the chief minister's term can last for the length of the assembly's life, a maximum of five years. There are no limits to the number of terms that the chief minister can serve.[2] A chief minister heads a state government's council of ministers and can be deputised in that role by a deputy chief minister. The chief minister generally selects the chief secretary and can also allot departments to the cabinet ministers of their state and ministers of state. They also direct the chief secretary to transfer, suspend, or promote officers of their state.
Eligibility
The Constitution of India sets the principle qualifications one must meet to be eligible to the office of chief minister. A chief minister must be:
- a citizen of India.
- should be a member of the state legislature
- of 25 years of age or more[3]
An individual who is not a member of the legislature can be considered the chief minister provided they get themselves elected to the State Legislature within six months from the date of their appointment. Failing which, they would cease to be the chief minister.
Election
The chief minister is elected through a majority in the state legislative assembly. This is procedurally established by the vote of confidence in the legislative assembly, as suggested by the governor of the state who is the appointing authority. They are elected for five years.[4] The chief minister holds office at the pleasure of the governor.
Oath
Since, according to the constitution, the chief minister is appointed by the governor, the swearing in ceremony is held before the governor of the state.
The oath of office
I, do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as a Minister for the State of and that I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.
— Constitution of India, Schedule 3, Para 5
The oath of secrecy
I, <Name of Minister>, do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person or persons any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as a Minister for the State of <Name of the State> except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as such Minister.
— Constitution of India, Schedule 3, Para 6
Resignation
In the event of a chief minister's resignation, which conventionally occurs after a general election or during a phase of assembly majority transition, the outgoing chief minister holds the informal title of "caretaker" chief minister until the governor either appoints a new chief minister or dissolves the assembly. Since the post is not constitutionally defined, the caretaker chief minister enjoys all the powers of a regular chief minister, but cannot make any major policy decisions or cabinet changes during his or her short tenure as caretaker.[5]
Remuneration
By Article 164 of the constitution of India, remuneration of the chief minister as well as other ministers are to be decided by the respective state legislatures.[6] Until the legislature of the state decides salary, it shall be as specified in the second schedule. [7] The salaries thus vary from state to state. As of 2019, the highest salary is drawn by chief ministers of Telangana, which is ₹410,000 (US$4,300) and lowest by the chief ministers of Tripura which is ₹105,500 (US$1,100) legally.[8]
Deputy Chief Minister
Various states throughout the history have appointed deputy chief ministers. Despite being not mentioned in the constitution or law, the deputy-chief minister office is often used to pacify factions within the party or coalition. It is similar to the rarely used deputy-prime minister post in the central government of India. During the absence of the chief minister, the deputy-chief minister may chair cabinet meetings and lead the assembly majority. Various deputy chief ministers have also taken the oath of secrecy in line with the one that chief minister takes. This oath has also sparked controversies.[9][10]
Current list
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See also
Notes
- Only the chief minister's party is indicated. They may head a complex coalition of several parties and independents, which are not listed here.
- Although Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry each have an elected legislature and a council of ministers (headed by the chief minister), they are officially classified as union territories.
The chief minister usually serves as the leader of the house in the respective legislative assembly.[44] Out of the thirty incumbents, except Tamil Nadu's M. K. Stalin,[a] all other chief ministers also act as the leader of the house.
Of the 31 incumbents, Sixteen incumbents belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party and three to the Indian National Congress, with no other party having more than one chief minister in office. Neiphiu Rio from Nagaland, has had the longest tenure (19 years, 69 days) as a chief minister. Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, serving since 20 March 2011 (for 14 years, 350 days), has the longest continuous incumbency. Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan (aged 80) is the oldest and Pema Khandu (aged 46), from Arunachal Pradesh is the youngest. Banerjee and Delhi's Rekha Gupta are the only two incumbent female chief ministers.
Notes
- Durai Murugan serves as the leader of the house in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.[45]