List of chief ministers of Tamil Nadu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Emblem of Tamil Nadu
Incumbent M. K. Stalin since 7 May 2021
Chief Minister's Office
Style	The Honourable (formal) Mr./Mrs./Ms. Chief Minister (informal)
Abbreviation	CMOTN
Member of	Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Tamil Nadu Council of Ministers
Reports to	Governor of Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
Residence	25/9, Chittaranjan Salai, Cenotaph 2nd Lane, Alwarpettai, Chennai – 600018, Tamil Nadu, India.
Seat	Office of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Fort St. George, Chennai – 600009, Tamil Nadu, India.
Appointer	Governor of Tamil Nadu
Formation	10 April 1952; 73 years ago (1952-04-10)
First holder	A. Subbarayalu Reddiar (as Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency) P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja (as Chief Minister of Madras State) C. N. Annadurai (as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu)
Deputy	Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is like the main leader of the government in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Think of them as the boss of the state's executive branch. India's Constitution says the Governor is the official head. But the Chief Minister actually holds the real power.

After elections for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, the Governor usually asks the party with the most seats to form the government. The Governor then appoints the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister and their team of ministers are responsible to the assembly. A Chief Minister serves for five years, as long as they have the support of the assembly. There's no limit to how many times someone can be Chief Minister.

Since 1952, Tamil Nadu has had 12 Chief Ministers. If you count V. R. Nedunchezhiyan, who was Chief Minister twice for short periods, it's 13. M. Karunanidhi from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party served the longest, for over 18 years in total. He also had the longest break between his terms. J. Jayalalithaa from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party served the second longest. Her party's founder, M. G. Ramachandran, was the first actor to become a Chief Minister in India and served the third longest. His wife, V. N. Janaki Ramachandran, had the shortest term, lasting only 23 days.

K. Kamaraj chose to step down from his position. He wanted to focus on making the Indian National Congress party stronger. He helped Lal Bahadur Shastri and later Indira Gandhi become the Prime Minister of India. C. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India before he became Chief Minister of Madras State. Sometimes, the central government takes control of Tamil Nadu's government. This is called "president's rule." It has happened four times, most recently in 1991.

The current Chief Minister is M. K. Stalin of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party. He started his term on May 7, 2021.

Understanding the Chief Minister's Role

The Chief Minister is the most powerful person in the state government. They lead the council of ministers, which is like a team of leaders. Each minister is in charge of a different part of the government, like education or health. The Chief Minister makes sure the state runs smoothly and that laws are followed.

How is the Chief Minister Chosen?

When people in Tamil Nadu vote, they choose members for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. This assembly is like the state's parliament. The political party that wins the most seats usually forms the government. The leader of that winning party then becomes the Chief Minister. The Governor of Tamil Nadu officially appoints them.

What Does the Chief Minister Do?

The Chief Minister has many important jobs:

• They lead the state government and make big decisions.
• They choose the other ministers who will work with them.
• They represent Tamil Nadu at meetings with other states and the national government.
• They work to improve the lives of people in Tamil Nadu.

A Look at Past Leaders: Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has a long and interesting history of leaders. Before it was called Tamil Nadu, it was known as the Madras Presidency, and then Madras State.

Leaders of the Madras Presidency

The Madras Presidency was a large area in India during British rule. It included parts of what are now Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. It was set up in 1653 as a main center for English settlements. Over time, it grew much larger.

The way the government worked also changed. At first, there was just one secretary. By 1920, there were six departments led by a chief secretary. In 1861, the Madras Legislative Council was created. It was an advisory group, meaning it gave advice but had no real power. Its members were chosen, not elected by the people.

Things changed more with the Government of India Act 1919. The first elections were held in 1920, and a legislature was formed. It had 132 members, some elected and some chosen by the Governor. Later, in 1935, a new law created two legislative houses: an assembly with 215 members and a council with 56 members.

In 1939, India was brought into World War II without asking its leaders. The Indian National Congress party protested by having its elected members resign. They came back to power in 1946 after new elections.

The state of Tamil Nadu in India has more than 70 million voters.

The Madras Presidency in 1909, showing the southern part of India.

Since 1920, Fort St. George has been the main office for the government of Tamil Nadu.

Chief Ministers of the Madras Presidency
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected constituency	Term of office			Council (Election)	Ministry	Appointed by	Political party
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		A. Subbarayalu Reddiar (1855–1921)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	17 December 1920	11 July 1921	206 days	1st (1920)	Reddiar	Frederic Thesiger	South Indian Liberal Federation
2		Panaganti Ramarayaningar (1866–1928)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	11 July 1921	11 September 1923	5 years, 145 days		Ramarayaningar I	Rufus Isaacs
				12 September 1923	3 December 1926		2nd (1923)	Ramarayaningar II
3		P. Subbarayan (1889–1962)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	4 December 1926	27 October 1930	3 years, 327 days	3rd (1926)	Subbarayan	Edward Wood	Independent
4		B. Munuswamy Naidu (1885–1935)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	27 October 1930	4 November 1932	2 years, 8 days	4th (1930)	Naidu		South Indian Liberal Federation
5		Ramakrishna Ranga Rao (1901–1978)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	5 November 1932	5 November 1934	3 years, 151 days		Rao I	Freeman Freeman-Thomas
				5 November 1934	4 April 1936		5th (1934)	Rao II
6		P. T. Rajan (1892–1974)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	4 April 1936	24 August 1936	142 days		Rajan
(5)		Ramakrishna Ranga Rao (1901–1978)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	24 August 1936	1 April 1937	220 days		Rao III	Victor Hope
7		Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu (1875–1942)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	1 April 1937	14 July 1937	104 days	1st (1937)	Naidu		Independent
8		C. Rajagopalachari (1878–1972)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	14 July 1937	29 October 1939	2 years, 107 days		Rajagopalachari I		Indian National Congress
–		Vacant (Governor-General's rule)	N/A	29 October 1939	29 April 1946	6 years, 182 days	Dissolved	N/A	–	N/A
9		T. Prakasam (1872–1957)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	30 April 1946	23 March 1947	327 days	2nd (1946)	Prakasam	Archibald Wavell	Indian National Congress
10		Omanthur P. Ramaswamy Reddiar (1895–1970)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	23 March 1947	6 April 1949	2 years, 14 days		Reddiar	Archibald Nye
11		P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja (1898–1957)	Leader of the Presidency Legislative Council	6 April 1949	25 January 1950	294 days		Raja	Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji

Timeline of Madras Presidency Chief Ministers

Leaders of Madras State

After India became a republic on January 26, 1950, the Madras Presidency became Madras State. This new state included parts of today's Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala. The first elections where everyone could vote happened in January 1952.

The state was later divided based on languages. In 1953, Andhra State was created. Then, in 1956, parts of Madras State became the new states of Kerala and Mysore (now Karnataka). There were also some small border changes in 1959.

Chief Ministers of Madras State
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected constituency	Term of office			Assembly (Election)	Ministry	Appointed by	Political party
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja (1898–1957)	Leader of the State Legislative Council	26 January 1950	9 April 1952	2 years, 74 days	2nd (1946)	Raja	Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji	Indian National Congress
2		C. Rajagopalachari (1878–1972)	Leader of the State Legislative Council	10 April 1952	13 April 1954	2 years, 3 days	1st (1952)	Rajagopalachari II	Sri Prakasa
3		K. Kamaraj (1903–1975)	Gudiyatham	13 April 1954	12 April 1957	9 years, 172 days		Kamaraj I
			Sattur	13 April 1957	14 March 1962		2nd (1957)	Kamaraj II	A. J. John
				15 March 1962	2 October 1963		3rd (1962)	Kamaraj III	Bishnu Ram Medhi
4		M. Bhakthavatsalam (1897–1987)	Sriperumbudur	2 October 1963	5 March 1967	3 years, 154 days		Bhakthavatsalam
5		C. N. Annadurai (1909–1969)	Leader of the State Legislative Council	6 March 1967	13 January 1969	1 year, 313 days	4th (1967)	Annadurai	Ujjal Singh	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Leaders of Tamil Nadu State

On January 14, 1969, the name of Madras State was officially changed to Tamil Nadu. This change was approved by the Parliament of India. Because of this, the "Madras Legislative Assembly" also became the "Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly". Since 1967, the assembly has had 234 elected members plus one nominated member.

From 1952 to 1986, Tamil Nadu had two legislative houses: the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. But on November 1, 1986, the state decided to get rid of the Legislative Council. Since then, Tamil Nadu has had only one legislative house. Even though there have been attempts to bring back the Legislative Council, it has not happened yet.

Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected constituency	Term of office			Assembly (Election)	Ministry	Appointed by	Political party
				Assumed office	Left office	Time in office
1		C. N. Annadurai (1909–1969)	Leader of the State Legislative Council	14 January 1969	3 February 1969	20 days	4th (1967)	Annadurai	Ujjal Singh	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Acting		V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (1920–2000)	Triplicane	3 February 1969	10 February 1969	7 days		Nedunchezhiyan I
2		M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018)	Saidapet	10 February 1969	14 March 1971	6 years, 355 days		Karunanidhi I
				15 March 1971	31 January 1976		5th (1971)	Karunanidhi II
–		Vacant (President's rule)	N/A	31 January 1976	29 June 1977	1 year, 149 days	Dissolved	N/A	–	N/A
3		M. G. Ramachandran (1917–1987)	Aruppukottai	30 June 1977	17 February 1980	2 years, 232 days	6th (1977)	Ramachandran I	Prabhudas B. Patwari	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
–		Vacant (President's rule)	N/A	17 February 1980	8 June 1980	112 days	Dissolved	N/A	–	N/A
(3)		M. G. Ramachandran (1917–1987)	Madurai West	9 June 1980	9 February 1985	7 years, 198 days	7th (1980)	Ramachandran II	Prabhudas B. Patwari	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
			Andipatti	10 February 1985	24 December 1987		8th (1984)	Ramachandran III	S. L. Khurana
Acting		V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (1920–2000)	Athoor	24 December 1987	7 January 1988	14 days		Nedunchezhiyan II
4		V. N. Janaki Ramachandran (1923–1996)	did not contest	7 January 1988	30 January 1988	23 days		Janaki
–		Vacant (President's rule)	N/A	30 January 1988	26 January 1989	362 days	Dissolved	N/A	–	N/A
(2)		M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018)	Harbour	27 January 1989	30 January 1991	2 years, 3 days	9th (1989)	Karunanidhi III	P. C. Alexander	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
–		Vacant (President's rule)	N/A	30 January 1991	23 June 1991	144 days	Dissolved	N/A	–	N/A
5		J. Jayalalithaa (1948–2016)	Bargur	24 June 1991	12 May 1996	4 years, 323 days	10th (1991)	Jayalalithaa I	Bhishma Narain Singh	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(2)		M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018)	Chepauk	13 May 1996	13 May 2001	5 years	11th (1996)	Karunanidhi IV	Marri Chenna Reddy	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(5)		J. Jayalalithaa (1948–2016)	did not contest	14 May 2001	21 September 2001	130 days	12th (2001)	Jayalalithaa II	Fathima Beevi	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
6		O. Panneerselvam (1951–)	Periyakulam	21 September 2001	2 March 2002	162 days		Panneerselvam I	C. Rangarajan
(5)		J. Jayalalithaa (1948–2016)	Andipatti	2 March 2002	12 May 2006	4 years, 71 days		Jayalalithaa III	P. S. Ramamohan Rao
(2)		M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018)	Chepauk	13 May 2006	15 May 2011	5 years, 2 days	13th (2006)	Karunanidhi V	Surjit Singh Barnala	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(5)		J. Jayalalithaa (1948–2016)	Srirangam	16 May 2011	27 September 2014	3 years, 134 days	14th (2011)	Jayalalithaa IV		All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(6)		O. Panneerselvam (1951–)	Bodinayakanur	28 September 2014	23 May 2015	237 days		Panneerselvam II	Konijeti Rosaiah
(5)		J. Jayalalithaa (1948–2016)	Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar	23 May 2015	22 May 2016	1 year, 196 days		Jayalalithaa V
				23 May 2016	5 December 2016		15th (2016)	Jayalalithaa VI
(6)		O. Panneerselvam (1951–)	Bodinayakanur	6 December 2016	15 February 2017	72 days		Panneerselvam III	C. Vidyasagar Rao
7		Edappadi K. Palaniswami (1954–)	Edappadi	16 February 2017	6 May 2021	4 years, 79 days		Palaniswami
8		M. K. Stalin (1953–)	Kolathur	7 May 2021	Incumbent	4 years, 38 days	16th (2021)	Stalin	Banwarilal Purohit	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Timeline of Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers

Chief Minister Statistics

Here are some interesting facts about the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu.

Longest Serving Chief Ministers

This table shows how long each Chief Minister has served.

Political Parties and Their Time in Office

This table shows which political parties have held the Chief Minister's office for the longest time.

Chart of Parties by Time in Office

Lifespan and Time in Office of Chief Ministers

This timeline shows when each Chief Minister was alive and when they served in office.

More About Tamil Nadu's Government

• History of Tamil Nadu
• Elections in Tamil Nadu
• List of governors of Tamil Nadu
• Chief Secretariat of Tamil Nadu
• Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
• List of current Indian chief ministers
• List of deputy chief ministers of Tamil Nadu
• List of speakers of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
• List of leaders of the house in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
• List of leaders of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly