List Of Chief Ministers Of Punjab, India
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The chief minister of Punjab is the
head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...
of the government of Punjab. As per the
Constitution of India The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India, legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures ...
, the Governor of Punjab is the state's head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the
Punjab Legislative Assembly The Punjab Legislative Assembly or the Punjab Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the state of Punjab (India), Punjab in India. The Sixteenth Punjab Legislative Assembly was constituted in March 2022. At present, it consists of 117 M ...
, the 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 Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...
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 limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...
s.


History


Punjab Province (1937-1947)

The province of
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
was then headquartered in
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
.Under the
Government of India Act 1935 The Government of India Act 1935 (25 & 26 Geo. 5. c. 42) was an Act of Parliament (UK), act passed by the British Parliament that originally received royal assent in August 1935. It was the longest act that the British Parliament ever enact ...
, a bicameral legislature was set up with a legislative assembly and a legislative council with a government headed by the Prime Minister. The Unionist Party won the Punjab Provincial Assembly elections, 1937 and
Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan '' Khan Bahadur'' Major Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, (5 June 1892 – 26 December 1942), also written Sikandar Hyat-Khan or Sikandar Hyat Khan, was an Indian politician and statesman from the Punjab who served as the Premier of the Punjab, among ...
became the Premier of Punjab and hold the position up to his death in 1942. Khan was succeeded by Sir Khizar Tiwana. In
1946 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1946. Africa * French legislative election, November 1946 (French Equatorial Africa) * French legislative election, November 1946 (Guinea) * 1946–1947 Moyen-Congo Representative Council election * ...
were held the Unionist Party stood fourth place but with the support of
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
and
Shiromani Akali Dal The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) (translation: ''Supreme Eternal Party'') is a centre-right Sikh-centric state political party in Punjab, India. The party is the second-oldest in India, after Congress, being founded in 1920. Although there are ma ...
formed the government under Sir Khizar Tiwana. Tiwana later resigned on 2 March 1947 against the decision of
Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
.


Patiala and East Punjab States Union (1948-1956)

Patiala and East Punjab States Union or
PEPSU The Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) was a state of India, uniting eight princely states between 1948 and 1956. The capital and principal city was Patiala. The state covered an area of 26,208 km2. Shimla, Kasauli, Kandaghat and ...
was an Indian state formed by the union of the post-partition province of Punjab on the Indian side of the border with eight princely states, which were allowed to maintain their native monarchs. The state was inaugurated on 15 July 1948 and formally became a
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
in 1950. Among these princely states, six were
salute state A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Scouting ...
s:-
Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubar ...
,
Jind Jind is one of the largest and oldest cities in Jind district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is the administrative headquarter of Jind district. Rani Talab is the main destination for tourists while Pandu Pindara and Ramrai are the ma ...
,
Kapurthala Kapurthala () is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. The aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent b ...
,
Nabha Nabha is a city and municipal council in the Patiala district in the south-west of the Indian state of Punjab. It was the capital of the former Nabha State. Nabha is also a sub-division city which comes under Patiala district. Geography Nabha ...
, Faridkot and
Malerkotla Malerkotla is a city and the district headquarters of Malerkotla district in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It served as the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj. The state acceded to the Dominion of India, un ...
. The other two states were Nalagarh and Kalsia. PEPSU was earlier headed by the Premier, from 1952 the chief minister become the head of the government. On 1 November 1956, PEPSU was merged mostly into
East Punjab East Punjab was a state of Dominion of India from 1947 until 1950. It consisted parts of the Punjab Province of British India that remained in India following the partition of the state between the new dominions of Pakistan and India by the ...
(Punjab from 1950) following the
States Reorganisation Act, 1956 The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries of India's states and territories, organising them along linguistic lines. Although additional changes to India's state boundaries have been made since 1956, the States ...
.


East Punjab (1947-1966)

The state of East Punjab was formed in 1947 later it was renamed Punjab in 1950. It consisted of the parts of the Punjab Province of
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
that went to India following the
partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
. Since 1947, Punjab has had fifteen chief ministers. The first was
Gopi Chand Bhargava Gopi Chand Bhargava (8 March 1889 – 26 December 1966) was the first Chief Minister of Punjab from 15 August 1947 to 13 April 1949, and again between 18 October 1949, to 20 June 1951, and for the third time as caretaker Chief Minister b ...
of the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
party, who was sworn in on 15 August 1947, when India gained independence from the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
. He was succeeded by fellow Congressman
Bhim Sen Sachar Bhim Sen Sachar (1 December 1894 – 18 January 1978) was an Indian politician who served three times as the Chief Minister of Punjab. Early life Sachar was born on 1 December 1894. He did BA and LLB in Lahore and practiced law in Gujranwala ...
, who was then subsequently replaced after 188 days by former Chief Minister Gopi Chand Bhargava. After a brief term,
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Rajendra Prasad Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, journalist and scholar who served as the first president of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian National Congress during the Indian independen ...
placed the Punjab Legislative Assembly under suspension for ninth months to help the state government gets its act together. In 1952, the first state elections took place for the Legislative Assembly. The results of the election saw the return of the Congress government with former Chief Minister Bhim Sen Sachar as its leader. After he resigned in 1956,
Partap Singh Kairon Partap Singh Kairon (1 October 1901 – 6 February 1965) was the 3rd Chief Minister of the Punjab province (then comprising Punjab, Haryana and part of Himachal Pradesh), and is widely acknowledged as the architect of post-Independence Punjab P ...
became chief minister. Serving until 1964, Kairon remains one of Punjab's longest-serving chief ministers. He was followed by the returning Chief Minister Gopi Chand Bhargava, who briefly held office as acting chief minister for only 15 days. In July 1964,
Ram Kishan Ram Kishan (7 November 1913 – 1971) was the 4th Chief Minister of Punjab from 7 July 1964 to 5 July 1966. He was a senior member of the Indian National Congress party. Additionally he is a recognized member of India's freedom struggle against ...
assumed the office and served for two years. His tenure was followed by the President's rule which lasted for 119 days. On 1 November 1966, the state of
Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...
was partitioned from Punjab and some other districts were given to the state of Himachal Pradesh.


Punjab (Since 1966)

The first chief minister of the newly re-configured state was
Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir Gurmukh Singh Musafir (15 January 1899 – 18 January 1976) was an Indian politician and Punjabi language writer. He was the 5th Chief Minister of Punjab from 1 November 1966 to 8 March 1967. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in Punja ...
who led a Congress government from the Vidhan Parishad, one of only two to have done so. In the 1967 elections, he was voted out of power in favour of the Akali Das Sant Fateh Singh Group whose leader
Gurnam Singh Gurnam Singh (25 February 1899 – 31 May 1973) was an Indian politician and the 6th Chief Minister of Punjab from 8 March 1967 to 25 November 1967, and again between 17 February 1969 to 27 March 1970. He was the first Shiromani Akali Dal ...
became the first non-Congress chief minister. Gurnam Singh's government was succeeded by three short-lived Akali Dal governments— Lachhman Singh Gill's government for less than a year and a little more than a year under the returning Gurnam Singh and
Parkash Singh Badal Parkash Singh Badal (8 December 1927 – 25 April 2023) was an Indian politician and Sikh rights advocate who served as the 8th Chief Minister of Punjab from 1970 to 1971, from 1977 to 1980, from 1997 to 2002, and from 2007 to 2017, the longes ...
. After 272 days under President's rule, the Congress party returned to power under the future President
Zail Singh Giani Zail Singh (, born Jarnail Singh; 5 May 1916 – 25 December 1994) was an Indian politician from Punjab who served as the president of India from 1982 to 1987 and chief minister of Punjab. He was the first Sikh to become president. B ...
. In 1977, Parkash Singh Badal became the chief minister for the second time. Darbara Singh became chief minister in 1980 and remained in office for three years before a long period under President's rule. A brief interlude under
Surjit Singh Barnala Surjit Singh Barnala (21 October 1925 – 14 January 2017) was an Indian politician who served as the 11th chief minister of Punjab state from 1985 to 1987. Following that he served as the governor of Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Andhra Prades ...
followed, after which three Congress-led governments took office—led by Beant Singh from 1992 to 1995,
Harcharan Singh Brar Harcharan Singh Brar (21 January 1922 – 6 September 2009) was an Indian politician belonging to the Punjab unit of Indian National Congress. He was the 13th Chief Minister of Punjab and held this position from 31 August 1995 to 21 Novembe ...
from 1995 to 1996 and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal from 1996 to 1997. Upon taking office, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal became the first female chief minister of Punjab and overall the 8th female chief minister in India. Parkash Singh Badal assumed office for the third time in 1997 and became the first chief minister, since Kairon's resignation in 1964, to serve a full term. Badal was succeeded by Congressman
Amarinder Singh Amarinder Singh (born 11 March 1942) is an Indian politician, military historian, former royal and Indian Army veteran who served as the 15th Chief Minister of Punjab. His father, Yadavindra Singh, was the last Maharaja of the princely st ...
, who also successfully served a full term. In 2017 he became CM for the second time but failed to complete his tenure due to internal political factionalism and
Charanjit Singh Channi Charanjit Singh Channi (born 15 March 1963) is an Indian politician who served as the 16th Chief minister (India), Chief Minister of Punjab, India, Punjab. He is a member of the Indian National Congress. He is serving as a Member of Parliament ...
became the first
Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...
chief minister of Punjab just 6 months before the expiry of the 15th assembly.


Office

The office of the chief minister of Punjab is located at Punjab Civil Secretariat, Sector – 1, Chandigarh.


Leader of the House

A Minister designated by the Government to supervise the management of government business in the Legislative Assembly is known as the Leader of the House. The Rules of Procedure of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha define "Leader of the House". In both Houses, the leader of the house is a crucial official who directly affects how business is done. A House deputy leader may also be appointed by him. Government meeting scheduling and House business are under the purview of the Leader of the House. In addition, the Leader of the House serves as the legislative chair of the majority party. Rather than the Constitution, the Rules of the House specify the duties of the head of the house.


Role and Function

One important parliamentary official who has direct authority over the way the Legislative assembly operates is the Leader of the House. All of the government's policies are centered around him, particularly as they relate to the House's internal operations and measures pertaining to the conduct of its business. The Chief Whip resolves the specifics with the Leader of the House's agreement, although the Leader of the House is ultimately in charge of how government activity is organized. The Leader of the House suggests dates for the House's summons and prorogation with the Chair's approval. He is in charge of organizing the formal proceedings of the Parliamentary Session, including the introduction of legislation and motions.


Leader of House of Punjab Assembly

Since the formation of the Punjab Legislative assembly, the leader of the house of assembly is served by the Chief minister of Punjab. However there were two certain occasions when the Chief minister was the not the member of the house of legislative assembly and thus during that period of time, the role of the leader of house is served by person other than the chief minister. When
Gopi Chand Bhargava Gopi Chand Bhargava (8 March 1889 – 26 December 1966) was the first Chief Minister of Punjab from 15 August 1947 to 13 April 1949, and again between 18 October 1949, to 20 June 1951, and for the third time as caretaker Chief Minister b ...
became the acting chief minister of the Punjab in the year of 1964 after the resignation of the then chief minister
Partap Singh Kairon Partap Singh Kairon (1 October 1901 – 6 February 1965) was the 3rd Chief Minister of the Punjab province (then comprising Punjab, Haryana and part of Himachal Pradesh), and is widely acknowledged as the architect of post-Independence Punjab P ...
, the role of the leader of the house was fulfilled by the Kairon even after his resignation. Second time, when Gurmukh Singh Musafir become the chief minister after the reorganization of Punjab in 1966, the predecessor chief minister
Ram Kishan Ram Kishan (7 November 1913 – 1971) was the 4th Chief Minister of Punjab from 7 July 1964 to 5 July 1966. He was a senior member of the Indian National Congress party. Additionally he is a recognized member of India's freedom struggle against ...
served as the leader of the house during the chief minister-ship of the Musaffir. In all other cases, the chief minister of Punjab also serves as the Leader of the House.


Key

* No.: Incumbent number * Assassinated * Died in Office * Position Dissolved * Resigned *


Punjab Province (1937-1947)

Color key *


Patiala and East Punjab States Union The Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) was a States and union territories of India, state of India, uniting eight princely states between 1948 and 1956. The capital and principal city was Patiala. The state covered an area of 26,208 ...
(1948-1956)

Color key * *


Chief ministers of Punjab

Color keys for the party of the chief minister * * * * *


Statistics


List of chief minister by their tenure


Timeline


See also

*
List of current Indian chief ministers In the Republic of India, a chief minister is the head of government of each of the twenty-eight states and three of the eight union territories. According to the Constitution of India, at the state level, the governor is ''de jure'' head ...
*
List of governors of Punjab (India) This is a list of the governors of Punjab state in India since 1 April 1849 its partition on 15 August 1947. Since 1985, the governor of Punjab has acted as the administrator of Chandigarh. There are 32 governors with additional charge. Befor ...
* List of deputy chief ministers of Punjab, India


Notes


References


External links


assembly info
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
Chief Ministers