SSC
According to Article 164, the Chief Minister of a state is appointed by the:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Governor
Detailed Solution
Article 164 of the Constitution provides that the Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor, and the other ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister. The Constitution does not lay down a specific procedure for the selection and appointment of the Chief Minister.
By convention, which follows the parliamentary system, the Governor appoints as Chief Minister the leader of the party or coalition that has a majority in the state Legislative Assembly. When no party has a clear majority, the Governor may use his or her discretion to invite the person most likely to form a stable government, and may ask him or her to prove the majority on the floor of the House within a given time. In the S.R. Bommai case (1994), the Supreme Court held that the floor of the House is the right place to test a government's majority.
Key points about the Chief Minister:
The Chief Minister is the real executive head of the state government, while the Governor is the nominal head.
The Chief Minister should be a member of the state legislature (either House). A person who is not a member can be appointed for six months, within which he or she must be elected to the legislature.
The term of the Chief Minister is not fixed; he or she holds office during the pleasure of the Governor, but cannot be dismissed as long as he or she enjoys majority support in the Assembly.
The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly (Article 164(2)).
The total number of ministers, including the Chief Minister, cannot exceed 15% of the total strength of the Legislative Assembly, but cannot be less than 12 (91st Amendment, 2003).
The Chief Minister allots portfolios to ministers, advises the Governor on summoning and proroguing the legislature, and recommends the dissolution of the Assembly.
Article 167 makes it the duty of the Chief Minister to communicate the decisions of the Council of Ministers to the Governor.
Some notable firsts: Sucheta Kripalani (Uttar Pradesh, 1963) was India's first woman Chief Minister. Pawan Kumar Chamling (Sikkim) and Naveen Patnaik (Odisha) are among the longest-serving Chief Ministers.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The President appoints the Governor, not the Chief Minister.
- ✗The Legislative Assembly supports the CM but does not formally appoint him or her.
- ✗The Chief Justice of the High Court has no role in appointing the CM.
Quick tip
Remember: Chief Minister = appointed by the Governor (Article 164), collectively responsible to the Assembly; ministers max 15% (minimum 12); first woman CM = Sucheta Kripalani (1963).
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State Executive & Legislature — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of State Executive & Legislature, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers government at the state level: the Governor, the Chief Minister and the State Council of Ministers, the Advocate General, the State Legislature, including the legislative councils in states that have them, and the special provisions for certain states. Questions usually cover the appointment and powers of the Governor, the Governor's discretionary powers, which states have a bicameral legislature, and how a legislative council is created or abolished (Article 169). Remember that the Governor is appointed by the President and holds office during the President's pleasure. Practise the state executive and legislature questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.