The Chief Minister of a state holds a position of power in the state. He establishes the State Council of Ministers, which is always led by him. The appointment of the Chief Minister is the first step in the formation of a ministry. In forming the Council of Ministers, the Governor always takes his advice into consideration. Article 167 deals with this function of the Chief Minister.

In this article we will discuss more about the Powers and Functions of Chief Minister.

Who is Chief Minister?

• The Chief Minister is the state government's most powerful official.
• He is the head of the State Council of Ministers and the real executive head of state government.
• He wields enormous power and is a key figure in the state.
• The Constitution makes no mention of a specific procedure for selecting and appointing the Chief Minister.
• According to Article 164 of the Indian Constitution, the Governor appoints the Chief Minister.
  • It also mentions that there shall be a Council of Ministers along with the Chief Minister, to assist and advise the governor.
• After the Legislative Assembly election, the task of forming the government begins.
• The party with the most votes in the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) has the right to form the government.
• The governor must appoint the leader of the majority party in the state legislative assembly as chief minister, regardless of his preferences.
• Ministers are appointed based on the Chief Minister’s recommendations.
• The Chief Minister may be a member of either of the two Houses of a state legislature.

Powers and Functions of Chief Minister

The Chief Minister's powers and functions can be studied under the following headings:

With Regards to Council of Ministers

• The governor appoints only those persons as ministers who are recommended by the Chief Minister.
• He assigns and reshuffles portfolios to ministers.
• In the event of a disagreement, he can ask a minister to resign or advise the governor to dismiss him.
• He presides over meetings of the council of ministers and has an influence on its decisions.
• He directs, supervises, and coordinates the activities of all ministers.
• By resigning from office, he can bring the council of ministers to an end.
• Since the Chief Minister is the head of the council of ministers, his resignation or death results in the council of ministers being dissolved.
• Any other minister's resignation or death, on the other hand, simply creates a vacancy, which the Chief Minister may or may not fill.

With Regards to the Governor

• He serves as the primary liaison between the governor and the council of ministers. It is the Chief Minister's duty to:
  • communicate to the Governor of the state all decisions of the council of ministers relating to the administration of the affairs of the state and proposals for legislation;
  • furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the state and proposals for legislation as the governor may require; and
  • submit for the consideration of the council of ministers any matter that the governor so requires.
• He advises the governor on the appointment of important officials such as the state attorney general, the chairman and members of the state public service commission, the state election commissioner, and so on.

With Regards to State Legislature

• He advises the governor on the summoning and proroguing of the state legislature's sessions.
• He has the authority to recommend to the governor the dissolution of the legislative assembly at any time.
• He announces the government's policies on the floor of the House.

Other Powers & Functions

• He is the State Planning Board's chairman.
• By rotation, he serves as vice-chairman of the concerned zonal council, holding office for one year at a time.
• He is a member of the Prime Minister's Inter-State Council and the Governing Council of NITI Aayog.
• He is the state government's chief spokesman.
• During emergencies, he serves as the chief crisis manager at the political level.
• As the state's leader, he meets with various groups of people and receives memos from them about their problems, and so on.
• He is the political head of the services.

Significance of the Post of Chief Minister

• The CM's position is paramount in the State's governmental system.
• In practice, his position will only be imposing if his party has a clear majority in the State Legislature.
• When there is a coalition government, it is more difficult to uphold the principle of collective responsibility.
• In that case, much of the Chief Minister's time and energy will be wasted on keeping his team united and disciplined.
• The Chief Minister is the primary spokesperson for a state's government.
• He is the Governor's chief advisor, the leader of the majority party in the state legislature, and the most powerful leader of his party.
• He is the official representative of the entire state. Normally, he has vast powers of appointment and promotion, and the Governor always seeks his advice.
• The Chief Minister is the chief architect of the state government's policies. He is in charge of the state administration.
• His position in the state is comparable to that of the Prime Minister in the centre.
• The Chief Minister communicates all policies and decisions to the people of the state through the media.
• He holds regular or periodic press conferences in which he/she informs the citizens of the state about how the government is working.

Conclusion

The Chief Minister plays a very important and critical role in state administration. The governor's discretionary powers, on the other hand, limits the Chief Minister's power, authority, influence, prestige, and role in state administration.

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