List of Chief Ministers of Sikkim
| Chief Minister of Sikkim | |
|---|---|
| Appointer | Governor of Sikkim |
| Inaugural holder | Kazi Lhendup Dorjee |
| Formation | 16 May 1975 |
The Chief Minister of Sikkim, a north Indian state, is the head of the Government of Sikkim. As per the Constitution of India, the Governor of Sikkim is the state's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Sikkim 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. Given that he has the confidence of the assembly, the chief minister's term is for five years and is subject to no term limits.[1]
Since 1975, Sikkim has had five chief ministers. The first was Kazi Lhendup Dorjee of the Indian National Congress. Pawan Kumar Chamling of the Sikkim Democratic Front has served as Chief Minister of Sikkim since 1994. He has occupied the office longer than all his predecessors put together.
Chief Ministers of Sikkim
| Colour key for parties |
|---|
| No | Name | Term[2] | Party[lower-alpha 1] | Tenure | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kazi Lhendup Dorjee | 16 May 1975 | 18 August 1979 | Indian National Congress | 1555 Days | |
| – | Vacant[lower-alpha 2] (President's rule) |
18 August 1979 | 18 October 1979 | N/A | ||
| 2 | Nar Bahadur Bhandari | 18 October 1979 | 11 May 1984 | Sikkim Janata Parishad | 1668 Days | |
| 3 | B. B. Gurung | 11 May 1984 | 25 May 1984 | Indian National Congress | 13 Days | |
| – | Vacant[lower-alpha 2] (President's rule) |
25 May 1984 | 8 March 1985 | N/A | ||
| (2) | Nar Bahadur Bhandari | 8 March 1985 | 17 June 1994 | Sikkim Sangram Parishad | 3389 Days [Total 5057 Days] | |
| 4 | Sanchaman Limboo | 17 June 1994 | 12 December 1994 | 179 Days | ||
| 5 | Pawan Kumar Chamling | 12 December 1994 | Incumbent | Sikkim Democratic Front | 8030 Days | |
- ↑ This column only names the chief minister's party. The state government he heads may be a complex coalition of several parties and independents; these are not listed here.
- 1 2 When President's rule is in force in a state, its council of ministers stands dissolved. The office of chief minister thus lies vacant. At times, the legislative assembly also stands dissolved.[3]
References
- ↑ 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. Note: although the text talks about Indian state governments in general, it applies for the specific case of Sikkim as well.
- ↑ Former Chief Ministers of Tripura. Government of Tripura. Retrieved on 21 August 2013.
- ↑ Amberish K. Diwanji. "A dummy's guide to President's rule". Rediff.com. 15 March 2005. Retrieved on 3 March 2013.