List of chief ministers of Rajasthan

Chief Minister of Rajasthan
राजस्थान के मुख्यमंत्री
since 15 December 2023
Government of Rajasthan
StyleThe Honourable (Formal)
Mr. Chief Minister (Informal)
StatusHead of Government
AbbreviationCM
Member of
Reports to
SeatSecretariat, Jaipur, Rajasthan
AppointerGovernor of Rajasthan by convention based on appointees ability to command confidence in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
Term length5 years
Chief minister's term is for five years, provided the confidence of legislative assembly and is subject to no term limits.[1]
Inaugural holderHeera Lal Shastri
Formation26 January 1950
(74 years ago) (1950-01-26)
DeputyDeputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan
Salary
  • ₹175,000 (US$2,100)/monthly
  • ₹2,100,000 (US$25,000)/annually
WebsiteCMO Rajasthan

The chief minister of Rajasthan is the chief executive of the Indian state of Rajasthan. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, the state's 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 the confidence of the assembly, the chief minister's term is for five years and is subject to no term limits.[1]

At the time of India's independence in 1947, the region known as Rajputana included various princely states[a] and the province of Ajmer-Merwara. Over time, these areas were gradually integrated to form the modern Indian state of Rajasthan. The integration occurred in seven stages, from March 1948 to November 1956.[2] On 18 March 1948, the states of Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, and Karauli merged their territories to form the Matsya Union, with Shobha Ram becoming its prime minister.[3] Shortly after, on 25 March 1948, the Rajasthan Union was formed by the states of Bundi, Kota, Jhalawar, Dungarpur, Banswara, Pratapgarh, Kishangarh, Tonk, Shahpura and the chiefship of Lawa, with Gokul Lal Asava serving as its first prime minister.[4] On 18 April 1948, Udaipur State joined the Union, and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the newly named United State of Rajasthan, with Manikya Lal Verma becoming its prime minister.[5] Later, on 30 March 1949, the states of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Jaisalmer merged into the union, which was then renamed the United State of Greater Rajasthan. Hiralal Shastri became the prime minister on 7 April 1949. On 15 May 1949, the Matsya Union joined the United State of Greater Rajasthan.[6]

From 26 January 1950, the state officially came to be known as Rajasthan, with Shashtri continuing as its first chief minister.[7] On 3 March 1952, following the first legislative assembly election, Tika Ram Paliwal of the Indian National Congress became the first elected chief minister of the state.[8] Since 1949, three people have served as Prime Minister and fourteen people have served as Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Mohan Lal Sukhadia of the Congress party is the longest-serving chief minister, having been sworn in four times and serving for over sixteen years. Vasundhara Raje Scindia of the Bharatiya Janata Party is the only female to have held this position.[9] Since 1998, no chief minister or political party has retained power after completing one term, a trend that continued in the recent elections.[10] After a landslide victory with 115 seats in the 2023 assembly elections, Bhajan Lal Sharma of the Bharatiya Janata Party succeeded Ashok Gehlot of the Indian National Congress.[11][12]

  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 to the specific case of Rajasthan as well.
  2. ^ Hooja 2006, pp. 1130.
  3. ^ Hooja 2006, pp. 1134–1135.
  4. ^ Hooja 2006, pp. 1135.
  5. ^ Hooja 2006, pp. 1136.
  6. ^ Hooja 2006, pp. 1138.
  7. ^ Hooja 2006, pp. 1139.
  8. ^ Hooja 2006, pp. 1144.
  9. ^ "Former Chief Minister". Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  10. ^ Anand, Akriti (24 November 2023). "BJP Vs Congress in Rajasthan Poll: Why govt has been changing every 5 years". mint. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Ashok Gehlot Resigns As Rajasthan Chief Minister As BJP Thumps Congress In Assembly Polls". English Jagran. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Who is Bhajan Lal Sharma, the new chief minister of Rajasthan". The Times of India. 12 December 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 14 December 2023.


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