Chief minister
(India)
In India, a chief minister is t he elect ed head of government of each st at e out of t he 28[1]
st at es and somet imes a union t errit ory (UT; current ly, only t he UTs of Delhi and Puducherry have
serving chief minist ers). According t o t he Const it ut ion of India, t he governor is a st at e's head, but
de facto execut ive aut horit y rest s wit h t he chief minist er.
Following elect ions t o t he st at e legislat ive assembly (Vidhan Sabha) in a st at e, t he st at e's
governor usually invit es t he part y (or coalit ion) wit h a majorit y of seat s t o form t he government .
The governor appoint s and swears in t he chief minist er, whose council of minist ers are
collect ively responsible t o t he assembly. Based on t he West minst er syst em, given t hat t hey
ret ain t he confidence of t he assembly, t he chief minist er's t erm can last for t he lengt h of t he
assembly's life, a maximum of five years. There are no limit s t o t he number of t erms t hat t he
chief minist er can serve.[2] A chief minist er heads a st at e government 's council of minist ers and
can be deput ised in t hat role by a deput y chief minist er. The chief minist er generally select s t he
chief secret ary and can also allot depart ment s as per t heir own wish t o t he cabinet minist ers of
t heir st at e and minist ers of st at e. They also direct t he chief secret ary t o t ransfer, suspend, or
promot e officers of t heir st at e.
Selection process
Eligibility
The Const it ut ion of India set s t he principle qualificat ions one must meet t o be eligible t o t he
office of chief minist er. A chief minist er must be:
a cit izen of India.
should be a member of t he st at e legislat ure
of 25 years of age or more [3]
An individual who is not a member of t he legislat ure can be considered t he chief minist er
provided t hey get t hemselves elect ed t o t he St at e Legislat ure wit hin six mont hs from t he dat e
of t heir appoint ment . Failing which, t hey would cease t o be t he chief minist er.
Election
The chief minist er is elect ed t hrough a majorit y in t he st at e legislat ive assembly. This is
procedurally est ablished by t he vot e of confidence in t he legislat ive assembly, as suggest ed by
t he governor of t he st at e who is t he appoint ing aut horit y. They are elect ed for five years. [4] The
chief minist er shall hold office during t he pleasure of t he governor.
Oath
Since, according t o t he const it ut ion, t he chief minist er is appoint ed by t he governor, t he
swearing in is done before t he governor of t he st at e.
The oat h 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
minist ers have also t aken t he oat h of secrecy in line wit h t he one t hat chief minist er t akes. This
oat h has also sparked cont roversies.[9][10]
See also
List of female Chief Minist ers in India
List of longest -ruling Indian chief minist ers
List of current Indian chief minist ers
List of current Indian deput y chief minist ers
Federalism in India
References
1. "States and Union Territories" (https://knowindia.gov.in/states-uts/) . knowindia.gov.in.
2. Durga Das Basu. Introduction to the Constitution of India. 1960. 20th Edition, 2011 Reprint. pp. 241,
245. LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur. ISBN 978-81-8038-559-9.
3. Constitution of India, Article 173
4. The Constitution of India article 164, clause 1
5. "Caretaker chief minister is just a placeholder, say experts" (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/che
nnai/caretaker-chief-minister-is-just-a-placeholder-say-experts/articleshow/57102821.cms) . The
Times of India. 12 February 2017.
6. The Constitution of India, article 164,clause 5
7. The Constitution of India, Article 164, Clause 5
8. Jain, CA Sindu (2017-05-21). "CM Salary India 2019 (Chief Minister Salary State Wise List)" (https://fina
pp.co.in/chief-minister-salary/) . FinApp. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
9. Dhananjay Mahapatra (27 December 2017). "Deputy CM: Not in Constitution, yet a post with a long
history" (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/deputy-cm-not-in-constitution-yet-a-post-with-a-long-
history/articleshow/62259990.cms) . Times of India. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
10. S. Rajendran (13 July 2012). "Of Deputy Chief Ministers and the Constitution" (https://www.thehindu.co
m/news/national/of-deputy-chief-ministers-and-the-constitution/article3632410.ece) . The Hindu.
Retrieved 28 June 2019.
