The Chief Minister Of State

The Chief Minister of a State enjoys a position analogous to the Prime Minister at the Centre and exercises the real executive authority of the State.

Appointment:

He is appointed by the Governor of the State. Generally, the Governor appoints the leader of the majority party in the State legislature as Chief Minister. But if no single political party has a clear cut majority in the State Legislative Assembly, the Governor may have some discretion in the selection of the Chief Minister. However, while inviting a person to become the Chief Minister, the Governor has to satisfy himself that he sha the majority of the members of the Legislative Assembly.

Qualifications:

The Constitution does not prescribe any qualifications for the Office of the Chief Minister, although it is expected that he must be a member of the Legislative Assembly. It may be noted that there is no Constitutional bar to the appointment of outsiders as Chief Ministers. However, like the other members of the Council of Ministers, he must become a member of the State Legislature, within six months, otherwise, he shall cease to be the Chief Minister. Tenure: Constitutionally, he stays in office during the pleasure of the Governor but in actual practice, he stays in office as long as his party enjoys majority support in the State Legislature. Usually, the Chief Minister holds office for a little over five years. His term gets automatically extended if the term of the State Legislative Assembly is extended. Similarly, his term can be cut short if the Legislative Assembly passes a vote of no confidence against the Council of Ministers. Powers and Functions: The Chief Minister is the real executive head of the State and enjoys extensive powers which can be grouped under the following categories:

Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers:

All the members of the Council of Ministers are appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister also allocates portfolios among various members of the council and can change these portfolios if he is not satisfied with the performance of any member. 3. A minister stays in office as long as he enjoys the confidence of the Chief Minister.
If a Chief Minister is unhappy with a minister, he can ask him to tender his resignation or drop him from the Council by reshuffling it.
In extreme cases he can even advise the Governor to dismiss the minister. As the presiding officer of the Council of Ministers, the Chief Minister greatly influences the deliberations and decisions of the Council.
He ensures the necessary cooperation and coordination between various ministries and ensures that it presents a united front in the state legislature.

Chief Minister and the Governor:

The Chief Minister is the Chief link of communication between the Governor and the Council of Ministers. 1. It is his duty to communicate to the Governor of the State all the decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to the administration of the affairs of the State and proposals for legislation.

If the Governor so requires, the Chief Minister has to submit for the consideration of the Council of Ministers any matter on which a decision has been taken by the Minister but which has not been considered by the Council.

He is also duty-bound to supply to the Governor information on such matters relating to the administration of the State or proposals for legislation as the Governor may call for. All the major administrative appointments in the state are also made by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister.

Chief Minister and State Legislature:

1. The Chief Minister plays a major role in determining when the session of the legislature should be summoned or prorogued, even though formal action in this regard is taken by the Governor.

2. The Chief Minister can also recommend to the Governor to dissolve the Legislative Assembly.

3. The Chief Minister plays a vital role in the deliberations of the House. He makes all important policy announcements on the floor of the House.

Position of the Chief Minister:

It is evident from these powers and functions that the Chief Minister has been accorded a pivotal role in the State Administration. However, the position of the Chief Minister depends on a number of factors, viz., his own personality, the position of his party in the state legislature and its relations with the central government, his own position within the party, his relations with the Governor etc. Hence we can say that the position of the Chief Minister is not identical in all States.

Check out the notes on The State Legislature.