The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh is the chief executive of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is a state’s de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the state’s 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.
Since 1952, seven people have been Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Four of these belonged to the Indian National Congress party, including inaugural office-holder Yashwant Singh Parmar. After his first term ended in 1956, Himachal Pradesh was made a union territory, and the office of Chief Minister ceased to exist. In 1963, Parmar once again became Chief Minister, and during his reign, in 1971, Himachal regained full statehood. Until March 2015, when he was surpassed by Virbhadra Singh, Parmar was the state’s longest-serving chief minister. Between 1993 and 2017, the chief ministership has changed hands every five years between Virbhadra Singh of the Congress and Prem Kumar Dhumal of the Bharatiya Janata Party. All chief ministers except Shanta Kumar, belongs to the Rajput caste.
Chief ministers of Himachal Pradesh (1952–56) and (1963–present)
The Chief Commissioner’s Province of Himachal Pradesh was formed on 15 April 1948 through integration of 30 erstwhile princely-states. In 1951, Himachal Pradesh become a Part C state, under the Government of Part C State, 1951 and was brought under a Lt. Governor with 36 member Legislative Assembly. First elections to the Assembly were held in 1952. The Indian National Congress won 24 seats to form a government under Yashwant Singh Parmar.
In 1954, Bilaspur, another part-C State, was merged with Himachal Pradesh. In 1956 it was made a Union Territory and was placed under a Lt. Governor with a Territorial Council with limited powers.
| List of chief ministers of Himachal Pradesh (1951–56)(Part ‘C’ State) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No[a] | Portrait | Name | Constituency | Term of office | Assembly(election) | Party[b] | |||
| From | To | Days in office | |||||||
| 1 |  |
Yashwant Singh Parmar | Pachhad | 8 March 1952 | 31 October 1956 | 4 years, 237 days | LegislativeAssembly
(1952 election) |
IndianNational Congress | |
| Office abolished, 1956–63(Himachal Pradesh became a Union Territory) | |||||||||
In 1963, Himachal Pradesh though being a Union Territory was provided with a Legislative Assembly. The Territorial Council was converted into the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory. The assembly has its first sitting on 1 October 1971. On 18th December, 1970 the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament and the new state came into being on 25 January 1971. Thus Himachal Pradesh emerged as the 18th state of Indian Union
| List of chief ministers of Himachal Pradesh (1963–71)(Union Territory with Legislature) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No[a] | Portrait | Name | Constituency | Term of office | Assembly(election) | Party[c] | |||
| From | To | Days in office | |||||||
| (1) | |
Yashwant Singh Parmar | Shri Renukaji | 1 July 1963 | 4 March 1967 | 7 years, 208 days | 1st(Territorial Council) | Indian National Congress | |
| 4 March 1967 | 25 January 1971 | 2nd(1967 elections) | |||||||
| List of chief ministers of Himachal Pradesh (1971–present)(State) | |||||||||
| (1) | |
Yashwant Singh Parmar | Shri Renukaji | 25 January 1971 | 10 March 1972 | 6 years, 3 days | 2nd(1967 election) | Indian National Congress | |
| 10 March 1972 | 28 January 1977 | 3rd(1972 election) | |||||||
| 2 |  |
Thakur Ram Lal | Jubbal-Kotkhai | 28 January 1977 | 30 April 1977 | 92 days | |||
| – |
 |
Vacant[d] (President’s rule) |
N/A | 30 April 1977 | 22 June 1977 | 53 days | Dissolved | N/A | |
| 3 |  |
Shanta Kumar | Sullah | 22 June 1977 | 14 February 1980 | 2 years, 237 days | 4th(1977 election) | Janata Party | |
| (2) | |
Thakur Ram Lal | Jubbal-Kotkhai | 14 February 1980 | 15 June 1982 | 3 years, 53 days | Indian National Congress | ||
| 15 June 1982 | 8 April 1983 | 5th(1982 election) | |||||||
| 4 |  |
Virbhadra Singh | Jubbal-Kotkhai | 8 April 1983 | 8 March 1985 | 6 years, 331 days | |||
| 8 March 1985 | 5 March 1990 | 6th(1985 elections) | |||||||
| (3) | |
Shanta Kumar | Palampur | 5 March 1990 | 15 December 1992 | 2 years, 285 days | 7th(1990 elections) | Bharatiya Janata Party | |
| – |
|
Vacant[d] (President’s rule) |
N/A | 15 December 1992 | 3 December 1993 | 353 days | Dissolved | N/A | |
| (4) | |
Virbhadra Singh | Rohru | 3 December 1993 | 24 March 1998 | 4 years, 111 days | 8th(1993 elections) | Indian National Congress | |
| 5 |  |
Prem Kumar Dhumal | Bamsan | 24 March 1998 | 6 March 2003 | 4 years, 347 days | 9th(1998 elections) | Bharatiya Janata Party | |
| (4) | |
Virbhadra Singh | Rohru | 6 March 2003 | 30 December 2007 | 4 years, 299 days | 10th(2003 elections) | Indian National Congress | |
| (5) | |
Prem Kumar Dhumal | Bamsan | 30 December 2007 | 25 December 2012 | 4 years, 361 days | 11th(2007 elections) | Bharatiya Janata Party | |
| (4) | |
Virbhadra Singh | Shimla Rural | 25 December 2012 | 27 December 2017 | 5 years, 2 days | 12th(2012 elections) | Indian National Congress | |
| 6 |  |
Jai Ram Thakur | Seraj | 27 December 2017 | 11 December 2022 | 4 years, 349 days | 13th(2017 elections) | Bharatiya Janata Party | |
| 7 |  |
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu | Nadaun | 11 December 2022 | Incumbent | 36 days | 14th(2022 elections) | Indian National Congress | |
Timeline
