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-news

  2. 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 states

  3. 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 year

  4. 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 politics

  5. 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: Records

  6. 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-matching

  7. 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: Nicknames

  8. 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: UTs

  9. 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 changes

  10. 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&current

  11. 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-east

  12. 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 terms

  13. 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: Schemes

  14. 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 change

  15. 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: Constitution

Speed 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).