Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

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Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

The Chief Minister is the head of the state government in Tamil Nadu, India. The governor is the ceremonial head of the state. After elections, the governor invites the party or coalition with a majority to form the government. The Chief Minister leads the Council of Ministers and is responsible to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The term is five years, with no term limits, as long as the Chief Minister has the assembly’s confidence.

Current Chief Minister: M. K. Stalin of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), in office since 7 May 2021.

History in brief: Since 1952, Tamil Nadu has had 12 chief ministers (13 if you count acting chief ministers). The longest-serving was M. Karunanidhi, who led for over 18 years in several terms. J. Jayalalithaa and M. G. Ramachandran (the first film star to become Chief Minister) also served long terms. There have been four periods of President’s rule, the most recent in 1991.

Origin and structure: The state began as the Madras Presidency, with Fort St. George in Chennai as its headquarters. After independence it became Madras State and was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969. The legislature was originally bicameral but has been unicameral since 1986; there have been attempts to revive the Legislative Council, but none have succeeded.