Chief Minister of Sikkim

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Chief Minister of Sikkim
सिक्किम के मुख्यमंत्री
Seal of Sikkim.svg
Flag of India (Websafe).svg
Flag of the Republic of India
Prem Singh Tamang.jpg
since 27 May 2019
Style The Honourable (Formal)
Mr. Chief Minister (Informal)
Type Head of government
StatusFirst in the Council of Ministers
AbbreviationCM
Member of Sikkim Legislative Assembly and Sikkim Council of Ministers
Reports to Governor of Sikkim
AppointerGovernor of Sikkim
Term length At the confidence of the assembly
Chief minister's term is for five years and is subject to no term limits. [1]
Formation16 May 1974
(51 years ago)
 (1974-05-16)
First holder Kazi Lhendup Dorjee
Deputy Deputy chief minister
Salary$187,000

The chief minister of Sikkim is the popularly elected politician that heads the executive of the Government of Sikkim, the subnational authority of the Indian state of Sikkim. The chief minister acts as the head of government in the state, has formal presidency over the Council of Ministers and governs with the confidence of a majority in the elected Sikkim Legislative Assembly.

Contents

Following elections to the Sikkim Legislative Assembly, the governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. As such, the chief minister typically sits as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and leads the largest party or a coalition of parties. 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 1974, 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 was the longest serving chief minister of Sikkim from 1994 to 2019. He occupied the office longer than all his predecessors put together and currently holds the record for longest serving CM in India. The 24 year old rule of Pawan Kumar Chamling ended in the 2019 Vidhan Sabha elections where Sikkim Krantikari Morcha emerged victorious. Prem Singh Tamang became chief minister on 27 May 2019.

List of officeholders

NoPortraitName Constituency Term of officeElectionsParty
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Kazi Lhendup Dorjee .jpg Kazi Lhendup Dorjee Tashiding 16 May 197517 August 19794 years, 93 days 1974 Sikkim National Congress
Indian National Congress
Emblem of India.svg Vacant [a]
(President's rule)
N/A 18 August 1979 17 October 197960 days-N/A
2 Nar Bahadur Bhandari Soreong 18 October 1979 11 May 19844 years, 206 days 1979 Sikkim Janata Parishad
3 Bhim Bahadur Gurung Jorthang-Nayabazar 11 May 1984 25 May 198414 days Indian National Congress
Emblem of India.svg Vacant [a]
(President's rule)
N/A 25 May 1984 8 March 1985287 days-N/A
(2) Nar Bahadur Bhandari Soreong 8 March 1985 25 November 19899 years, 70 days 1985 Sikkim Sangram Parishad
26 November 1989 17 May 1994 1989
4 Sanchaman Limboo 18 May 1994 12 December 1994208 days
5 PawanKumarChamling.jpg Pawan Kumar Chamling Damthang 13 December 1994 10 October 199924 years, 165 days 1994 Sikkim Democratic Front
11 October 199921 May 2004 1999
21 May 200420 May 2009 2004
Poklok-Kamrang 20 May 200921 May 2014 2009
Namchi-Singhithang 21 May 201427 May 2019 2014
6 Prem Singh Tamang.jpg Prem Singh Tamang Poklok-Kamrang 27 May 201910 June 20246 years, 5 days 2019 Sikkim Krantikari Morcha
Rhenock 10 June 2024Incumbent 2024

Statistics

#Chief MinisterPartyTerm of office
Longest continuous termTotal duration of chief ministership
1 Pawan Kumar Chamling SDF 24 years, 165 days24 years, 165 days
2 Nar Bahadur Bhandari SJP/SSP 9 years, 70 days13 years, 276 days
3 Prem Singh Tamang* SKM*6 years, 5 days*6 years, 5 days*
4 Kazi Lhendup Dorjee SNC/INC 4 years, 93 days4 years, 93 days
5 Sanchaman Limboo SSP 208 days208 days
6 Bhim Bahadur Gurung INC 14 days14 days

Timeline

Prem Singh TamangPawan Kumar ChamlingSanchaman LimbooBhim Bahadur GurungNar Bahadur BhandariKazi Lhendup DorjeeChief Minister of Sikkim

Notes

  1. 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. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 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 to the specific case of Sikkim as well.
  2. Amberish K. Diwanji. "A dummy's guide to President's rule". Rediff.com. 15 March 2005. Retrieved on 3 March 2013.