List of chief ministers of Assam

Chief Minister of Assam
Emblem of Assam
since 10 May 2021
StatusHead of Government
AbbreviationCM
Member ofAssam Legislative Assembly& Assam Council of Ministers
Reports toGovernor of Assam
AppointerGovernor of Assam
Term lengthAt the confidence of the assembly
five years and is subject to no term limits.[1]
PrecursorPremier of Assam
Inaugural holderGopinath Bordoloi
Formation26 January 1950
(74 years ago) (1950-01-26)
DeputyDeputy Chief Minister of Assam
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The chief minister of Assam, an Indian state, is the head of the Government of Assam. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is the state's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly, 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 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.[1]

Since 1946, Assam has had 17 chief ministers. Ten of these belonged to the Indian National Congress, including Gopinath Bordoloi, the first Chief Minister of Assam, and Anwara Taimur, India's first female Muslim chief minister. Congress monopoly in the state was brought to an end when Golap Borbora led the Janata party to victory in the 1978 assembly elections. Borbora consequently became the first non congress Chief Minister of Assam. Prior to that, Borbora was the first member of the non congress opposition to be elected as a Rajya Sabha member from Assam. Congressman Tarun Gogoi is the longest-serving officeholder, having served for 15 years from 2001 to 2016. Sarbananda Sonowal became the Assam's first chief minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party, when he was sworn in on 24 May 2016. On 9 May 2021, Himanta Biswa Sarma is announced as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam.[2]

  • Top left: Gopinath Bordoloi was the first chief minister of Assam.
  • Top center: Anwara Taimur was the first and only woman to serve as chief Minister.
  • Top right: Golap Borbora was the first non-Congress chief minister.
  • Bottom left: Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was the first non-Congress chief minister to complete a full 5 year term and the only non-Congress chief minister to date to have served on two occasions.
  • Bottom center: Tarun Gogoi was the longest serving chief minister for 15 years.
  • Bottom right: Himanta Biswa Sarma is the current chief minister.
  1. ^ a b Durga Das Basu. Introduction to the Constitution of India. 1960. 20th Edition, 2011 Reprint. pp. 241, 245. LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur. ISBN 978-81-8038-559-9. Note: although the text talks about Indian state governments in general, it applies for the specific case of Assam as well.
  2. ^ "Himanta Biswa Sarma Crowned 15th Chief Minister Of Assam". Pratidin Time. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.