List of chief ministers of Sikkim

Chief Minister of Sikkim
सिक्किम के मुख्यमंत्री
Emblem of Sikkim
Flag of the Republic of India
since 27 May 2019
StyleThe Honourable (Formal)
Mr. Chief Minister (Informal)
TypeHead of government
StatusFirst in the Council of Ministers
AbbreviationCM
Member ofSikkim Legislative Assembly and Sikkim Council of Ministers
Reports toGovernor of Sikkim
AppointerGovernor of Sikkim
Term lengthAt the confidence of the assembly
Chief minister's term is for five years and is subject to no term limits.[1]
Formation16 May 1974
(50 years ago) (1974-05-16)
First holderKazi Lhendup Dorjee
DeputyDeputy chief minister
Salary$187,000

The chief minister of Sikkim is the popularly elected politician that heads the executive of the Government of Sikkim, the subnational authority of the Indian state of Sikkim. The chief minister acts as the head of government in the state, has formal presidency over the Council of Ministers and governs with the confidence of a majority in the elected Sikkim Legislative Assembly.

Following elections to the Sikkim Legislative Assembly, the governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. As such, the chief minister typically sits as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and leads the largest party or a coalition of parties. 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 1974, Sikkim has had five chief ministers. The first was Kazi Lhendup Dorjee of the Indian National Congress. Pawan Kumar Chamling of the Sikkim Democratic Front was the longest serving Chief Minister of Sikkim from 1994 to 2019. He occupied the office longer than all his predecessors put together and currently holds the record for longest serving CM in India. The 24 year old rule of Pawan Kumar Chamling ended in the 2019 Vidhan Sabha elections where Sikkim Krantikari Morcha emerged victorious. Prem Singh Tamang became Chief Minister on 27 May 2019.

List of officeholders

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No Portrait Name Constituency Term of office Elections Party
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Kazi Lhendup Dorjee Tashiding 16 May 1975 17 August 1979 4 years, 93 days 1974 Sikkim National Congress
Indian National Congress
– Vacant[a]
(President's rule) 		N/A 18 August 1979 17 October 1979 60 days - N/A
2 Nar Bahadur Bhandari Soreong 18 October 1979 11 May 1984 4 years, 206 days 1979 Sikkim Janata Parishad
3 Bhim Bahadur Gurung Jorthang-Nayabazar 11 May 1984 25 May 1984 14 days Indian National Congress
– Vacant[a]
(President's rule) 		N/A 25 May 1984 8 March 1985 287 days - N/A
(2) Nar Bahadur Bhandari Soreong 8 March 1985 25 November 1989 9 years, 70 days 1985 Sikkim Sangram Parishad
26 November 1989 17 May 1994 1989
4 Sanchaman Limboo 18 May 1994 12 December 1994 208 days
5 Pawan Kumar Chamling Damthang 13 December 1994 10 October 1999 24 years, 165 days 1994 Sikkim Democratic Front
11 October 1999 21 May 2004 1999
21 May 2004 20 May 2009 2004
Poklok-Kamrang 20 May 2009 21 May 2014 2009
Namchi-Singhithang 21 May 2014 27 May 2019 2014
6 Prem Singh Tamang Poklok-Kamrang 27 May 2019 10 June 2024 5 years, 181 days 2019 Sikkim Krantikari Morcha
10 June 2024 Incumbent 2024

Statistics

[edit]
# Chief Minister Party Term of office
Longest continuous term Total duration of chief ministership
1 Pawan Kumar Chamling SDF 24 years, 165 days 24 years, 165 days
2 Nar Bahadur Bhandari SJP/SSP 9 years, 70 days 13 years, 276 days
3 Prem Singh Tamang* SKM* 5 years, 181 days* 5 years, 181 days*
4 Kazi Lhendup Dorjee SNC/INC 4 years, 93 days 4 years, 93 days
5 Sanchaman Limboo SSP 208 days 208 days
6 Bhim Bahadur Gurung INC 14 days 14 days

Timeline

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Prem Singh TamangPawan Kumar ChamlingSanchaman LimbooBhim Bahadur GurungNar Bahadur BhandariKazi Lhendup Dorjee

Notes

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  1. ^ a b When President's rule is in force in a state, its council of ministers stands dissolved. The office of chief minister thus lies vacant. At times, the legislative assembly also stands dissolved.[2]

References

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  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 Sikkim as well.
  2. ^ Amberish K. Diwanji. "A dummy's guide to President's rule". Rediff.com. 15 March 2005. Retrieved on 3 March 2013.
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