Chief Minister (India) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A Chief Minister is the elected head of government

Head of government

Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...

of a state of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The chief minister is the head of the state Cabinet

Cabinet (government)

A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...

, and the leader of the state Legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

. By the Constitution of India

Constitution of India

The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens...

, the chief minister is appointed by the Governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

of the state.

The parliamentary system in India follows the Westminster system

Westminster System

The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....

. Hence the chief ministers of the states are elected by the members of the legislature. The people does not elect the head of the government, rather they elect their representatives only. In turn their representatives select the head of the government. But once the head of the government is elected, he or she enjoys almost exclusive executive powers. This is in contrast with the head of the state, the Governor, who has only imaginary powers.

Eligibility

The Constitution of India sets the principle qualifications one must meet to be eligible to the office of the Chief Minister. A Chief Minister must be:

a citizen of India
should be a member of the state legislature. If a person is elected chief minister who is not a member of the legislature, then he/she must become a member within six months.
of 25 years of age

Election

The chief minister is elected through a majority in the state legislative assembly. This is procedurally established by the vote of confidence in the legislative assembly, as suggested by the governor of the state who is the appointing authority.

Oath

Since, according to the constitution, the chief minister is appointed by the governor, the swearing in is done before the governor of the state.

The oath of office.
The oath of secrecy

Remuneration

By Article 164 of the constitution of India, remuneration of the chief minister as well as other ministers are to be decided by the respective state legislatures. Hence this varies from state to state.

Eligibility

Election

Oath

Remuneration

See also