Chief Minister and Governor List of India

Each of the 28 states of India alongside some of the union territories has an elected chief minister. The President of India appoints the governor for the 28 states and 8 union territories. The above list provides all the UTs and all state chief ministers and governor list 2024. Following the State Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) the governor invites the party (or coalition) which gained a majority of the seats. In the states and some UTs, the governor plays a similar role as the President of India. However, in some union territories, the governor acts as the administrator.

There has been a long tussle on this topic. According to the constitution, the governor is the executive head of the state. However, in an elected state government, the chief minister acts as the de facto head. However, when there is some discrepancy the governor enjoys certain situational as well as constitutional powers. For instance,  the governor can provide recommendations to the President to impose the President’s rule. In some union territories, where there is no chief minister, the real power lies with the lieutenant governor.

The state executive committee involves the council of ministers, the Governor and the Chief Minister as its head. The Governor is appointed by the President for a five-year term. However, the chief minister is elected by the general public during the state legislative assembly elections. There is no such declaration on who among the state chief ministers and governors holds higher positions. However, the Governor acts as the constitutional head and keeps an eye on state affairs whereas the CM acts as the de facto executive head.

Since India’s independence, there have been 16 female chief ministers. Among them, the first female chief minister was Sucheta Kripalani. She became the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1963 while representing the Indian National Congress party. Currently, there is only one incumbent female chief minister as mentioned in all the UTs and all state chief ministers and governor list for 2024.

The President of India appoints the governor. A governor should fulfil the following points to be eligible for his/her position. The person must be aged at least 35 years or above. The person should not hold any position in either house of the parliament or any state legislative assemblies at the time of appointment. He/she must not represent any office of profit.