The deputy chief minister is the deputy to the

chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

, who is the

chief executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state. The

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

appoints the deputy chief minister, who is the second-highest-ranking member in the

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 ...

of the respective state. A deputy chief minister also holds a cabinet portfolio in the state ministry. In the legislative assembly system of government, the

deputy chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

is treated as the "first among equals" in the cabinet; the position of deputy chief minister is used to govern the state with the support of a single party member, to bring political stability and strength within a

coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

, or in times of state emergency when a proper

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. Military chain of command In a military context, the chain of command is the line of authority and responsibility along which orders ...

is necessary. On multiple occasions, proposals have arisen to make the post permanent, but without result. The same goes for the post of deputy prime minister at the national level. Given that she 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. Since 1996, India has had seven female deputy chief ministers. The first woman to become deputy chief minister was

Rajinder Kaur Bhattal Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (born 30 September 1945) is an Indian politician and member of Congress who served as the 14th Chief Minister of Punjab from 1996 to 1997 and 2nd Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab from 2004 to 2007. She is the first and so ...

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 6 August 1996 as deputy chief minister of Punjab. She is also the only female deputy chief minister who served two non-consecutive terms and also as

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

(who also only female chief minister who later served as deputy chief minister).

Jamuna Devi Jamuna Devi (19 November 1929 – 24 September 2010) was a leader of Indian National Congress party from Madhya Pradesh. She was a member of Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly and served as the leader of Opposition and deputy chief minister of ...

was the longest-serving female deputy chief minister. Pamula Pushpa Sreevani of the

Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party The Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (, YSRCP or YCP), often shortened to simply the YSR Congress Party, is an Indian regional political party based in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The party was initially registered with Election Commissi ...

is the youngest and first member of the state party to become the female deputy chief minister. Only six states in India had female deputy chief ministers out of 28 states and three union territories that have legislature systems.

Diya Kumari Diya Kumari (born 30 January 1971) is an Indian politician from Bharatiya Janata Party currently serving as the 5th Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan alongside Prem Chand Bairwa in the ministry of Bhajan Lal Sharma. She currently represents ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

and

Pravati Parida Pravati Parida (born 12 May 1966) is an Indian politician from Odisha. She became the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha. She is also the Minister of Women and Child Development, Mission Shakti, and Tourism. She is an MLA from Nimapa ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

are the female incumbent deputy chief ministers in India.

Chronological list

;Key * Incumbent Chief Minister * Assassinated or died in office * Resigned * Resigned following a

no-confidence motion A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fit ...

Statistics

List of female deputy chief ministers by length of term

Notes

References

{{Current Indian deputy chief ministers +female Lists of women politicians in India

Chronological list

Statistics

List of female deputy chief ministers by length of term

See also

Notes

References