Chief Ministers
Key Concepts
| # | Concept | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chief Minister (CM) | Real head of a state government; appointed by the Governor. |
| 2 | Article 164 | Constitutional provision for appointment of CM by the Governor. |
| 3 | Longest-serving CM (current) | Pawan Kumar Chamling – Sikkim (24 yrs 165 days, 1994-2019). |
| 4 | First woman CM | Sucheta Kripalani – Uttar Pradesh (1963-67). |
| 5 | Youngest CM ever | Pema Khandu (Arunachal) sworn at 36 yrs; M.O. Hasan Farook (Puducherry) was 29. |
| 6 | CM of a Union Territory | Only Delhi & Puducherry have CMs; other UTs are administered by Administrators. |
| 7 | Collective responsibility | CM & Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to State Legislative Assembly. |
| 8 | “Acting” CM | If CM resigns/dies, Governor may ask senior-most minister to discharge duties till new CM is sworn. |
15 Practice MCQs
1. Who is the current Chief Minister of Rajasthan as on 25 Dec 2025?
**Options:** A. Vasundhara Raje B. Ashok Gehlot C. Bhajan Lal Sharma D. Sachin Pilot **Answer:** C. Bhajan Lal Sharma (sworn-in Dec 2023 after Assembly elections) **Shortcut:** “RA-jasthan → BHa-jan” (BHA-jan sounds like RA-jasthan) **Tag:** States-in-news2. Which state has YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as its Chief Minister?
**Options:** A. Telangana B. Karnataka C. Andhra Pradesh D. Odisha **Answer:** C. Andhra Pradesh **Shortcut:** “Jagan → Andhra” (rhymes) **Tag:** Southern states3. The first Chief Minister of the newly formed state of Telangana (2014) was:
**Options:** A. K. Chandrashekar Rao B. E. S. L. Narasimhan C. Revanth Reddy D. Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao **Answer:** A. K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) **Shortcut:** “KCR → Karimnagar → Telangana” **Tag:** Formation year4. Who among the following is the only woman Chief Minister currently in office (Dec 2025)?
**Options:** A. Mamata Banerjee B. Mayawati C. Vasundhara Raje D. Jayalalithaa **Answer:** A. Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal) **Shortcut:** “Mamata → M=Main Lady CM now” **Tag:** Women in politics5. The longest continuously serving Chief Minister of any Indian state is:
**Options:** A. Narendra Modi B. Pawan Kumar Chamling C. Naveen Patnaik D. Jyoti Basu **Answer:** B. Pawan Kumar Chamling (Sikkim, 1994-2019) **Shortcut:** “Chamling → Champa→ 24 years long fragrance” **Tag:** Records6. Which of the following pairs is wrongly matched?
**Options:** A. Maharashtra – Eknath Shinde B. Tamil Nadu – M. K. Stalin C. Gujarat – Bhupendra Patel D. Kerala – Pinarayi Vijayan **Answer:** A. Maharashtra – Eknath Shinde (correct as of Dec 2025; trick: check year) **Shortcut:** “E-Shinde → 2022 rebellion, still CM” **Tag:** Pair-matching7. The Chief Minister of which state is known by the nickname “Mama”?
**Options:** A. Madhya Pradesh B. Chhattisgarh C. Uttar Pradesh D. Haryana **Answer:** A. Madhya Pradesh (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) **Shortcut:** “MP→Mama Pradesh” **Tag:** Nicknames8. Which Union Territory has a Chief Minister?
**Options:** A. Chandigarh B. Lakshadweep C. Delhi D. Andaman & Nicobar **Answer:** C. Delhi **Shortcut:** “D=Democracy→Delhi has CM” **Tag:** UTs9. Who succeeded Hemant Soren as CM of Jharkhand in 2024?
**Options:** A. Champai Soren B. Raghubar Das C. Arjun Munda D. Shibu Soren **Answer:** A. Champai Soren **Shortcut:** “Hemant→Champai (both ‘Soren’ surname)” **Tag:** Recent changes10. The youngest state (formed 2014) and its current CM (Dec 2025) is:
**Options:** A. Telangana – Revanth Reddy B. Chhattisgarh – Vishnu Deo Sai C. Uttarakhand – Pushkar Dhami D. Jharkhand – Champai Soren **Answer:** A. Telangana – Revanth Reddy (sworn Dec 2023) **Shortcut:** “2014→T for Telangana→T for Top young state” **Tag:** Formation¤t11. Match the state with its CM: 1. Assam 2. Himachal 3. Meghalaya 4. Tripura
**Options:** A. 1-Sarma 2-Sukhu 3-Sangma 4-Deb B. 1-Sarma 2-Jai Ram 3-Sangma 4-Saha C. 1-Sarma 2-Sukhu 3-Conrad 4-Manik D. 1-Rijiju 2-Sukhu 3-Sangma 4-Deb **Answer:** A. 1-Sarma 2-Sukhu 3-Conrad Sangma 4-Deb (Manik Saha replaced Biplab Deb in 2022, still CM) **Shortcut:** “All names end with ‘a’ except Sukhu; HP=Congress=Sukhu” **Tag:** North-east12. Who is the Chief Minister of Bihar as on 25 Dec 2025?
**Options:** A. Nitish Kumar B. Tejashwi Yadav C. Sushil Modi D. Jitan Ram Manjhi **Answer:** A. Nitish Kumar (8th term after 2024 oath) **Shortcut:** “Bihar→Nitish→Never-ending CM” **Tag:** Repeated terms13. Which state CM launched the “Ladli Behna” scheme in 2023?
**Options:** A. MP B. UP C. Rajasthan D. Gujarat **Answer:** A. Madhya Pradesh (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) **Shortcut:** “Ladli→L=Lady→M=Mama’s scheme” **Tag:** Schemes14. The Chief Minister of Odisha belongs to which party?
**Options:** A. BJD B. BJP C. INC D. JMM **Answer:** A. BJD (Naveen Patnaik till 2024; after 2024 election BJP’s Mohan Charan Majhi became CM) **Shortcut:** “2024 switch→Odisha=Lotus bloom” **Tag:** Party change15. If President’s Rule is imposed in a state, who becomes the executive head?
**Options:** A. Chief Minister B. Governor C. President D. Prime Minister **Answer:** B. Governor **Shortcut:** “President Rule→GoverNor takes chair” **Tag:** ConstitutionSpeed Tricks
| Situation | Shortcut | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Southern states | “K-TAM-KER-AP-TEL” → Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra, Telangana | CMs: Sidda, Stalin, Vijayan, Jagan, Revanth |
| BJP-ruled large states (Dec 2025) | “3G-2M-UP-Guj-MP-Maha” | Gujarat, UP, MP, Maharashtra |
| NE states capitals vs CM | “Sikkim-Gangtok-Prem Singh; Manipur-Imphal-Biren” | Remember first letter match: S-G-P, M-I-B |
| Women CMs ever | “Sucheta-Vasundhara-Mayawati-Jayalalithaa-Mamata” | Only Mamata in office now |
| UTs with legislature | “D-P” → Delhi & Puducherry only | CM possible here |
Quick Revision
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1 | Appointed by Governor; need majority support in Assembly. |
| 2 | No fixed term; holds office during pleasure of Governor (as long as enjoys majority). |
| 3 | CM of Delhi is also called “Chief Minister of National Capital Territory”. |
| 4 | Strength of Council of Ministers max 15% of total strength of Assembly (91st AA). |
| 5 | If CM loses vote of confidence, must resign or recommend dissolution. |
| 6 | Oath to CM administered by Governor under Article 164. |
| 7 | CM allocates portfolios to ministers; can reshuffle. |
| 8 | Only CM can advise Governor on summoning/proroguing Assembly. |
| 9 | In money bills, prior recommendation of CM (through Governor) is mandatory. |
| 10 | Updated list: always check last election year (Nov 2023 for 5 states; 2024 for Odisha, AP, Sikkim, Arunachal). |
BETA
