The chief minister of Kerala is the chief executive of the Indian state of Kerala. De facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Kerala Legislative Assembly, the state's governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form 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.[2]
| Chief minister of Kerala | |
|---|---|
| Kēraḷa Mukhyamantri | |
 | |
| Chief minister's office | |
| Style | The Honourable (Formal) Mr./Mrs. Chief Minister (Informal) |
| Type | Head of government |
| Status | Leader of the Executive |
| Abbreviation | CM |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | |
| Residence | Cliff House, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Seat | Kerala Government Secretariat, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Appointer | Governor of Kerala |
| Term length | At the pleasure of the governor of Kerala[1] |
| Precursor | Prime minister of Travancore Prime minister of Kingdom of Cochin Chief minister of Madras Chief ministers of Travancore-Cochin |
| Inaugural holder | E. M. S. Namboodiripad (1957–1959) |
| Formation | 5 April 1957 |
| Deputy | Vacant |
| Salary |
|
| Website | CMO Kerala |
Following India's independence from the British Raj in 1947, the states' monarchs of Travancore and Cochin instituted a measure of representative government, headed by a prime minister and his council of ministers. On 1 July 1949 Travancore and Cochin were merged to form Travancore-Cochin state. The Malabar District and Kasaragod region of South Canara, which together constitute more than half of present state of Kerala, had their representatives in the Madras Legislative Assembly.
On 1 November 1956, the States Reorganisation Act redrew India's map along linguistic lines, and the present-day state of Kerala was born, consisting solely of Malayalam-speaking regions, by merging Cochin, Malabar, and Travancore regions, and the Kasaragod region of South Canara.[3] The first assembly election in Kerala state was held in February–March 1957.[3] The first Kerala Legislative Assembly was formed on 5 April 1957. The Assembly had 127 members including a nominated member.[3] Since then, 12 people have served as the chief minister of Kerala. The first was E. M. S. Namboodiripad of the Communist Party of India, whose tenure was cut short by the imposition of President's rule. Kerala has come under President's rule for four years over seven terms, the last of them in 1982. Since then the office has alternated between leaders of the Indian National Congress and of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). E. K. Nayanar is the longest serving holder of the office for a total of 10 years, 353 days. Pinarayi Vijayan is the incumbent chief minister; his Left Democratic Front government has been in office since 25 May 2016.
Key
- † Assassinated or died in office
- § Returned to office after a previous non-consecutive term
- RES Resigned
- NC Resigned following a no-confidence motion
Precursors
Prime ministers of Travancore (1948–49)
| No[a] | Portrait | Name | Term of Office | Assembly | Appointed by (Monarch) | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | P. A. Thanu Pillai | 24 March 1948 | 17 October 1948 | 210 days | Representative Body (1948–49) | Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma | Indian National Congress | |
| 2 |  | P. T. K. Narayana Pillai | 22 October 1948 | 1 July 1949 | 253 days | ||||
Prime ministers of Cochin (1947–49)
| No[b] | Portrait | Name | Term of Office | Assembly | Appointed by (Monarch) | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | P. Govinda Menon | 14 August 1947 | 22 October 1947 | 51 days | 6th Council (1945–48) | Aikya Keralam Thampuran | Independent | |
| 2 | | T. K. Nair | 27 October 1947 | 20 September 1948 | 334 days | ||||
| 3 |  | E. Ikkanda Warrier | 20 September 1948 | 1 July 1949 | 284 days | Legislative Assembly (1948–49) | |||
Prime ministers of Travancore-Cochin (1949–50)
| No[c] | Portrait | Name | Term of Office | Assembly | Appointed by (Rajpramukh) | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | T. K. Narayana Pillai | 1 July 1949 | 26 January 1950 | 209 days | 1st | Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma | Indian National Congress | |
Chief ministers of Travancore-Cochin (1950–56)
After India's independence in 1947, Travancore and Cochin were merged to form Travancore-Cochin on 1 July 1949. On 1 January 1950, Travancore-Cochin was recognised as a state.
| No[d] | Portrait | Name | Term of Office | Assembly | Appointed by (Rajpramukh) | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | T. K. Narayana Pillai | 26 January 1950 | 28 February 1951 | 1 year, 33 days | 1st | Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma | Indian National Congress | |
| 2 |  | C. Kesavan | 28 February 1951 | 12 March 1952 | 1 year, 13 days | ||||
| 3 | | A. J. John | 12 March 1952 | 16 March 1954 | 2 years, 4 days | 2nd (1951 election) | |||
| 4 | | P. A. Thanu Pillai | 16 March 1954 | 10 February 1955 | 331 days | 3rd (1954 election) | Praja Socialist Party | ||
| 5 | | P. Govinda Menon | 10 February 1955 | 23 March 1956 | 1 year, 42 days | Indian National Congress | |||
| – |  | Vacant[e] (President's rule) | 23 March 1956 | 31 October 1956 | 222 days | Dissolved | N/A | ||
Chief ministers of Kerala
On 1 November 1956, Government of India enacted the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 by which a new Kerala state was formed by the merger of Travancore-Cochin state with the Malabar district and Kasaragod taluk of South Canara district of the Madras State. The southern part of Travancore-Cochin, Kanyakumari district, along with Sengottai Taluk was transferred to Madras state and the Laccadive and Minicoy Islands were separated from Malabar district to form a new Union Territory.[5][6] A new Legislative Assembly was also created, for which elections were held in 1957.
| No[f] | Portrait | Name[g] | Constituency | Tenure | Assembly (election) | Party[h] | Ministry | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Vacant[e] (President's rule) | N/A | 1 November 1956 | 5 April 1957 | 155 days | Dissolved | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1 | _1.jpg) | E. M. S. Namboodiripad (1909–1998) | Nileshwaram | 5 April 1957 | 31 July 1959 | 2 years, 117 days | 1st (1957 election) | Communist Party of India | Namboodiripad I | |
| | Vacant[e] (President's rule) | N/A | 31 July 1959 | 22 February 1960 | 206 days | Dissolved | N/A | N/A | ||
| 2 | | P. A. Thanu Pillai (1885–1970) | Trivandrum II | 22 February 1960 | 26 September 1962 | 2 years, 216 days | 2nd (1960 election) | Praja Socialist Party | Thanu Pillai | |
| 3 |  | R. Sankar (1909–1972) | Cannanore I | 26 September 1962 | 10 September 1964 | 1 year, 350 days | Indian National Congress | Sankar | ||
| | Vacant[e] (President's rule) | N/A | 10 September 1964 | 25 March 1965 | 2 years, 177 days | Dissolved | N/A | N/A | ||
| 25 March 1965 | 6 March 1967 | Dissolved (1965 election)[i] | N/A | N/A | ||||||
| (1) | | E. M. S. Namboodiripad (1909–1998) | Pattambi | 6 March 1967 | 1 November 1969 | 2 years, 240 days | 3rd (1967 election) | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | Namboodiripad II | |
| 4 |  | C. Achutha Menon (1913–1991) | Kottarakkara | 1 November 1969 | 3 August 1970 | 275 days | Communist Party of India | Achutha Menon I | ||
| | Vacant[e] (President's rule) | N/A | 4 August 1970 | 3 October 1970 | 60 days | Dissolved | N/A | N/A | ||
| (4) | | C. Achutha Menon (1913–1991) | Kodakara | 4 October 1970 | 25 March 1977 | 6 years, 172 days | 4th (1970 election) | Communist Party of India | Achutha Menon II | |
| 5 |  | K. Karunakaran (1918–2010) | Mala | 25 March 1977 | 27 April 1977 | 33 days | 5th (1977 election) | Indian National Congress | Karunakaran I | |
| 6 |  | A. K. Antony (b. 1940) | Kazhakkuttom | 27 April 1977 | 29 October 1978 | 1 year, 185 days | Antony I | |||
| 7 |  | P. K. Vasudevan Nair (1926–2005) | Alleppey | 29 October 1978 | 12 October 1979 | 348 days | Communist Party of India | Vasudevan Nair | ||
| 8 | .jpg) | C. H. Mohammed Koya (1927–1983) | Malappuram | 12 October 1979 | 4 December 1979 | 53 days | Indian Union Muslim League | Koya | ||
| | Vacant[e] (President's rule) | N/A | 5 December 1979 | 25 January 1980 | 51 days | Dissolved | N/A | N/A | ||
| 9 |  | E. K. Nayanar (1919–2004) | Malampuzha | 25 January 1980 | 20 October 1981 | 1 year, 268 days | 6th (1980 election) | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | Nayanar I | |
| | Vacant[e] (President's rule) | N/A | 21 October 1981 | 28 December 1981 | 68 days | N/A | N/A | |||
| (5) | | K. Karunakaran (1918–2010) | Mala | 28 December 1981 | 17 March 1982 | 79 days | Indian National Congress | Karunakaran II | ||
| | Vacant[e] (President's rule) | N/A | 17 March 1982 | 23 May 1982 | 67 days | Dissolved | N/A | N/A | ||
| (5) | | K. Karunakaran (1918–2010) | Mala | 24 May 1982 | 26 March 1987 | 4 years, 306 days | 7th (1982 election) | Indian National Congress | Karunakaran III | |
| (9) | | E. K. Nayanar (1919–2004) | Trikaripur | 26 March 1987 | 24 June 1991 | 4 years, 90 days | 8th (1987 election) | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | Nayanar II | |
| (5) | | K. Karunakaran (1918–2010) | Mala | 24 June 1991 | 22 March 1995 | 3 years, 271 days | 9th (1991 election) | Indian National Congress | Karunakaran IV | |
| (6) | | A. K. Antony (b. 1940) | Thirurangadi | 22 March 1995 | 20 May 1996 | 1 year, 59 days | Antony II | |||
| (9) | | E. K. Nayanar (1919–2004) | Thalassery | 20 May 1996 | 17 May 2001 | 4 years, 362 days | 10th (1996 election) | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | Nayanar III | |
| (6) | | A. K. Antony (b. 1940) | Cherthala | 17 May 2001 | 31 August 2004 | 3 years, 106 days | 11th (2001 election) | Indian National Congress | Antony III | |
| 10 |  | Oommen Chandy (1943–2023) | Puthuppally | 31 August 2004 | 18 May 2006 | 1 year, 260 days | Chandy I | |||
| 11 |  | V. S. Achuthanandan (b. 1923) | Malampuzha | 18 May 2006 | 18 May 2011 | 5 years, 0 days | 12th (2006 election) | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | Achuthanandan | |
| (10) | | Oommen Chandy (1943–2023) | Puthuppally | 18 May 2011 | 25 May 2016 | 5 years, 7 days | 13th (2011 election) | Indian National Congress | Chandy II | |
| 12 |  | Pinarayi Vijayan (b. 1945) | Dharmadam | 25 May 2016 | 19 May 2021 | 8 years, 1 day | 14th (2016 election) | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | Pinarayi I | |
| 20 May 2021 | At Present | 15th (2021 election) | Pinarayi II | |||||||
Statistics
- List of chief ministers by length of term
| No. | Name | Party | Length of term | No: of terms | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longest continuous term | Total years of premiership | |||||
| 1 | E. K. Nayanar | CPI(M) | 4 years, 361 days | 10 years, 353 days | 3 | |
| 2 | K. Karunakaran | INC | 4 years, 305 days | 8 years, 315 days | 4 | |
| 3 | Pinarayi Vijayan | CPI(M) | 8 years, 1 day | 8 years, 1 day | 2 | |
| 4 | C. Achutha Menon | CPI | 6 years, 172 days | 7 years, 80 days | 2 | |
| 5 | Oommen Chandy | INC | 5 years, 6 days | 6 years, 256 days | 2 | |
| 6 | A. K. Antony | INC | 3 years, 105 days | 5 years, 347 days | 3 | |
| 7 | V. S. Achuthanandan | CPI(M) | 4 years, 364 days | 4 years, 364 days | 1 | |
| 8 | E. M. S. Namboodiripad | CPI(M)/CPI | 2 years 240 days | 4 years 357 days | 2 | |
| 9 | Pattom A. Thanu Pillai | PSP | 2 years 216 days | 2 years 216 days | 1 | |
| 10 | R. Sankar | INC | 1 year 350 days | 1 year 350 days | 1 | |
| 11 | P. K. Vasudevan Nair | CPI | 347 days | 347 days | 1 | |
| 12 | C. H. Mohammed Koya | IUML | 53 days | 53 days | 1 | |
- List by party
| No. | Political party | Number of chief ministers | Total days of holding CMO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | 4 | 9728 days |
| 2 | Indian National Congress | 4 | 8813 days |
| 3 | Communist Party of India | 3 | 3834 days |
| 4 | Praja Socialist Party | 1 | 947 days |
| 5 | Indian Union Muslim League | 1 | 53 days |
Timeline
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
- Chief Ministers, Ministers, and Leaders of Opposition of Kerala (PDF), Thiruvananthapuram: Secratriat of Kerala Legislature, 2018
- Chandran, VP (2018). Mathrubhumi Yearbook Plus – 2019 (Malayalam ed.). Kozhikode: P. V. Chandran, Managing Editor, Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company Limited, Kozhikode.
- Menon, A. Sreedhara (2007). A Survey of Kerala History. DC Books. ISBN 9788126415786.
External links
