Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh (Himachal Pradesh Mukhya Mantri) |
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Appointer | Governor of Himachal Pradesh |
Inaugural holder | Yashwant Singh Parmar |
Formation | 8 March 1952 |
The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh is the chief executive of the north 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, five people have been Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Three 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. Since 1993, the chief ministership has changed hands every five years between Virbhadra Singh of the Congress and Prem Kumar Dhumal of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The former is the current incumbent, having been sworn in on 25 December 2012.