List of Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu

The complete list of Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu consists of the heads of government in the
Chief Minister of T amil
history of the state of Tamil Nadu in India since 1920. The area under the present-day state of
Nadu
Tamil Nadu has been part of different territorial configurations under Madras Presidency and
Madras State in its history.[2][3]
Incumbent
Edappadi K. Palaniswami
since 16 February 2017

Appointer Governor of Tamil

Contents Nadu

List of chief ministers of Tamil Nadu

Inaugural A. Subbarayalu
Madras Presidency holder Reddiar
Madras State Formation 17 December 1920
Tamil Nadu
Records
Footnotes and References
See also

List of chief ministers of Tamil Nadu

Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency, headquartered in Fort St. George, was a province of British India that comprised The state of Tamil Nadu in
present day Tamil Nadu, the Malabar region of North Kerala, the coastal and Rayalaseema regions of India has an electorate of
Andhra Pradesh, and the Bellary, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi districts of Karnataka. It was established more than 70 million people (7
in 1653 to be the headquarters of the English settlements on theCoromandel Coast. crores)[1]

The territory under the presidency comprised only Madraspatnam and surrounding regions. But, after the
Anglo-French wars and the consequent alliance between the English East India Company and the Nawab
of Arcot, it was expanded to comprise the region fromNorthern Circars to Cape Comorin. Alongside, the
governance structure also evolved from a modest secretariat with a single secretary for the Public
Department in 1670 to six departments overseen by a Chief Secretary by 1920. With the enactment of
Government of India Act 1919, the first legislature was formed in 1920 after general elections.[4] The
term of the legislative council was three years. It had 132 members of whom 34 were nominated by the
Governor and the rest were elected.

Under the Government of India Act 1935, a bicameral legislature was set up with a legislative assembly
consisting of 215 members and a legislative council having 56 members. The first legislative assembly
under this act was constituted in July 1937. The legislative council was a permanent body with a third of
its members retiring every three years.[5] Madras Presidency in 1909,
southern portion
In 1939, the British government declared India's entrance into World War II without consulting
provincial governments. The Indian National Congress protested by asking all its elected representatives
to resign from the governments.[6] Congress came back to power in 1946 after new provincial elections.
[7]
 Took
#[8] Name Portrait Left office Term[9] Political party Election
office
17 1st
A. Subbarayalu 11 July
1
Reddiar
December
1921
(206 Justice Party[10]
1920 days) 1920 Madras
Legislative
11 1st Council Election
11 July
Raja of Panagal
1921
September (792 Justice Party[10]
1923 days)
2
19 4 2nd Justice 1923 Madras
Raja of Panagal November December (1,111 Legislative
Party[11][12][13]
1923 1926 days) Council Election

4 27 1st 1926 Madras

3 P. Subbarayan December October (1,423 Unaffiliated[10] Legislative
1926 1930 days) Council Election

27 5 1st
4 B. Munuswamy Naidu October November (740 Justice Party[10]
1930 1932 days) 1930 Madras
Legislative
5 5 1st Council Election
Ramakrishna Ranga
Rao (Raja of Bobbilli)
November November (730 Justice Party[10]
1932 1934 days)
5
5 2nd
Ramakrishna Ranga 4 April
Rao
November
1936
(516 Justice Party[10]
1934 days)

1st
4 April 24 August
6 P. T. Rajan
1936 1936
(142 Justice Party[10]
days) 1934 Madras
Legislative
Council Election

3rd
Ramakrishna Ranga 24 August 1 April
(5)
Rao 1936 1937
(220 Justice Party[10]
days)

1st Interim provisional

Kurma Venkata Reddy 1 April 14 July
7 (104
Naidu 1937 1937 ministry[14][15][16][17]
days)

1937 Madras
Legislative
Assembly
Election
29 1st
14 July Indian National
8 C. Rajagopalachari October (837
1937 Congress
1939 days)

29
30 April (2,375
- Governor's Rule[18] October
1946 days)
1939
9 Tanguturi Prakasam 30 April 23 March 1st Indian National 1946 Madras
1946 1947 (327 Congress Legislative
days) Assembly
Election
 1st
O. P. Ramaswamy 23 March 6 April Indian National
10 (745
Reddiyar 1947 1949 Congress
days)
26 1st
P. S. Kumaraswamy 6 April Indian National
11 January (295
Raja 1949 Congress
1950 days)

Madras State
Madras State, precursor to the present day state of Tamil Nadu, was created after India became a republic
on 26 January 1950.[19] It comprised present-day Tamil Nadu and parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka and Kerala. The first legislature of the Madras State to be elected on the basis of universal
suffrage was constituted on 1 March 1952, after thegeneral elections held in January 1952.[20]

The state was split up along linguistic lines in 1953, carving out Andhra State. Under the States
Reorganisation Act, 1956, the States of Kerala, and Mysore were carved out of the Madras state. Under
the implementation of the Andhra Pradesh and Madras Alteration of Boundaries Act, 1959, with effect
from 1 April 1960, Tirutani taluk and Pallipattu sub-taluk of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh were
[4][21]
transferred to Madras State in exchange for territories from the Chingelput and Salem Districts.

Map of southern India

showing the Madras State in
yellow before the
reorganisation of 1956
 Took Left
#[8] Name Portrait Term[9] Political party Election
office office
P. S. 26 2nd
10 April 1946 Madras Legislative
1 Kumaraswamy January (805
1952 Assembly Election
Raja 1950 days)

2nd
C. 10 April 13 April
2 (733
Rajagopalachari 1952 1954
days) 1952 Madras Legislative
Assembly Election
1st
13 April 31 March
(1,083
1954 1957
days)
2nd Indian National
13 April 1 March Congress 1957 Madras Legislative
3 K. Kamaraj (1,783
1957 1962 Assembly Election
days)
3rd
15 March 2 October
(566
1962 1963
days)

1962 Madras Legislative

1st Assembly Election
M. 2 October 6 March
4 (1,251
Bakthavatsalam 1963 1967
days)

14 1st
6 March 1967 Madras Legislative
5 C. N. Annadurai January (680 DMK
1967 Assembly election
1969 days)

[22]

Tamil Nadu
Madras State was renamed as Tamil Nadu (Tamil for Tamil country) on 14 January 1969.[19] The
legislative assembly adopted a resolution on 14 May 1986, to abolish the legislative council. Thereafter,
the legislative council was abolished through an act of Parliament named the Tamil Nadu Legislative
Council (Abolition) Act, 1986[23] with effect from 1 November 1986. The state legislature is unicameral,
.[5]
and consists of 235 members including one nominated member

The Chief Minister commands most of the executive powers while theGovernor has a largely ceremonial
role. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, like other Chief Ministers of India, is elected by legislators of
the political party or the coalition which commands a simple majority in the legislative assembly. The
tenure of the Chief Minister extends as long as he or she enjoys the confidence of the assembly. The
incumbent shall vacate the office in the event of a successful motion of no confidence. Also, the
President of India, acting under the recommendations of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Government of
The political state of Tamil
India, can dismiss an elected government using certain provisions of Article 356 of the Constitution of Nadu in India was created in
India. In 1976, Karunanidhi's government was dismissed and President's rule was imposed on the 1969 when erstwhile Madras
grounds of corruption.[24] If a vacancy is caused to the office of the Chief Minister due to death, State was renamed
demitting, or dismissal, the Governor can invite another person to form the government and request him
or her to move a confidence-seeking motionin the Assembly. In the event of no one enjoying majority support, the Assembly is either dissolved or
put in suspended animation and the state comes under President's rule or a caretaker government until fresh elections are held for the assembly.
The incumbent shall be disqualified if convicted of a criminal offence with a jail sentence of two years or more. In 2014, Jayalalithaa lost her post
due to a special court sentencing her to four years of prison term in thedisproportionate assets case.[25]
 Took Political
#[8] Name Portrait Left office Term[9] Election
office party[26]

14
3 February 1st
1 C. N. Annadurai January
1969 1969[†][27] (20 days)

1967
State
V.R. 10 assembly
3 February 1st
2 Nedunchezhiyan[19] 1969
February
(7 days) DMK election
MLA for Triplicane 1969

10
M. Karunanidhi 4 January 1st
February
MLA for Saidapet 1971 (693 days)
1969
3
31
M. Karunanidhi 15 March 2nd
January 1971
MLA for Saidapet 1971 (1,783 days)
1976 State
31 assembly
30 June election
President's rule[19] January
1977
(516 days)
1976
M. G. 17
1st
4 Ramachandran July 1977 February AIADMK 1977
(962 days)
MLA for Aruppukkottai 1980 State
17 assembly
9 June election
President's rule[19] February
1980
(113 days)
1980
1980
M. G. 15
9 June 2nd State
Ramachandran November
1980 (1,620 days) assembly
MLA for Madurai West 1984
(4) election

M. G. 10 24
3rd
Ramachandran February December
(1,042 days)
MLA for Andipatti 1985 1987[†] AIADMK
V.R. 24
7 January 2nd
(2) Nedunchezhiyan[19] December
1988 (8 days) 1984
MLA for Athoor 1987 State
assembly
30
Janaki 7 January 1st election
5 January
Ramachandran 1988 (23 days)
1988
30 27
President's rule[19] January January (363 days)
1988 1989

27 30
M. Karunanidhi 3rd
(3) January January DMK 1989
MLA for Harbour (733 days)
1989 1991 State
assembly
election
30
24 June
President's rule[19] January
1991
(145 days)
1991

1991
J. Jayalalithaa 24 June 13 May 1st State
6 AIADMK
MLA for Bargur 1991 1996 (1,785 days) assembly
election

1996
M. Karunanidhi 13 May 13 May 4th State
(3) DMK
MLA for Chepauk 1996 2001 (1,826 days) assembly
election

[28] [28]
 (6)[28] J. Jayalalithaa 14 May 21 (130 days) [28] AIADMK 2001
MLA for Andipatti 2001 September State
2001 assembly
election

21
O. Panneerselvam 1 March 1st
7 September
MLA for Periyakulam 2002 (161 days)
2001

J. Jayalalithaa 2 March 12 May 2nd

(6)
MLA for Andipatti 2002 2006 (1,532 days) [28]

2006
(3)
M. Karunanidhi 13 May 15 May 5th[30] DMK
State
MLA for Chepauk 2006 2011[29] (1,828 days) assembly
election

27
(6)
J. Jayalalithaa 16 May September 3rd[31]
MLA for Srirangam 2011 (1,230 days)
2014[25]

2011
State
assembly
O. Panneerselvam 29
22 May 2nd election
(7) MLA for September
2015[33] (235 days)
Bodinayakkanur 2014[32]

23 May 23 May 4th

(6)
2015[34] 2016 (366 days)
J. Jayalalithaa AIADMK
MLA for RK Nagar 5
24 May 5th
(6) December
2016[35] (196 days)
2016[†]

O. Panneerselvam 6 15
3rd 2016
(7) MLA for December February
(72 days) State
Bodinayakkanur 2016[36] 2017[22] assembly
election

Edappadi K. 16 1st
8 Palaniswami February Incumbent 1 year, 26 days
MLA for Edappadi 2017[37]

Key
† Assassinated or died in office
Records
Ignoring an interveningPresident's rule from 17 February 1980 to 9 June
1980, the Chief Minister with the longest tenure (in successive terms) in of fice
was M. G. Ramachandran, lasting 10 years, 5 months and 25 days from 30
June 1977 until his death on 24 December 1987.
K. Kamaraj was the Chief Minister with the longest tenure without intervening
President's rules. His terms lasted from 13 April 1954 to 2 October 1963, i.e. 9
years, 5 months and 19 days.
The shortest period is 24 days byJanaki Ramachandranwho held office from
7 January 1988 to 30 January 1988.
J.Jayalalithaa holds a record by sworning as Chief Minister six times, followed
by Karunanidhi who sworn five times.
On 21 September 2001, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the appointment Annadurai (centre and leaning towards
of Ms. Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister on 14 May 2001 was null and invalid, with right) with K. A. Mathialagan, V. P. Raman,
retrospective effect. Therefore, technically, decisions of her cabinet during the Rajaji and M. Karunanidhi at a private
period May–September 2001 in effect became legal fiction. function in 1968
J. Jayalalithaa became the first incumbent Chief Minister to lose her postin a
graft case when a special court sentenced her to four years of prison term on
27 September 2014.[25] The sentence was subsequently overturned by the
Karnataka High Court which acquitted Jayalalithaa of all charges and that allowed her to return to the post for a fourth term.
M. Karunanidhi has been in the office as CM for around 6863 days (Around 18 years) in multiple tenures. Also was the only
Indian Chief Minister holding post at different occasions spanning 6 decades starting from 1960's (from 1969), 1970's (till 1976),
1980's ( from 1989), 1990's (till 1991 and again from 1996), 2000's (till 2001 and again from 2006) and 2010's (up to 2011).

J. Jayalalithaa became the first woman Chief Minister in India to die in office on 5 December 2016. She was the fifteenth Chief
Minister to die in office and the third in Tamil Nadu, after C. N. Annadurai and M. G. Ramachandran.

Footnotes and References

1. Mariappan, Julie (31 May 2013)."Tamil Nadu population
rises to 7.2 crore in a decade"(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.
com/india/Tamil-Nadu-population-rises-to-7-2-crore-in-a-dec
ade/articleshow/20364440.cms). The Times of India.
Retrieved 27 September 2015.
2. Archive.org — Government of Tamil Nadu — Chief Ministers
of Tamil Nadu since 1920 (https://web.archive.org/web/2013
0423150027/http://www.tn.gov.in/tnassembly/cmlist-1920.ht
m)
3. Government of Tamil Nadu — Assemblies —An Overview
(http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/archive/list/assemblies-overvi
ew.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2014100608
3126/http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/archive/list/assemblies-o
verview.htm) 6 October 2014 at theWayback Machine.
4. Government of Tamil Nadu — Tamil Nadu Secretariat —
Brief History (http://www.tn.gov.in/misc/histn.htm)
5. Legislative bodies of India - Tamil Nadu Legislative
Assembly (http://legislativebodiesinindia.gov.in/States/tamiln
adu/tamilnadu-w.htm)
6. The Telegraph - Own Goal - Partition becameinevitable
once the Congress resigned in 1939(http://www.telegraphin
dia.com/1050918/asp/opinion/story_5251771.asp)
7. Pakistan - toward partition(http://www.country-data.com/cgi-
bin/query/r-9770.html)
8. The colours indicate thepolitical party affiliation of each
Chief Minister.
9. The ordinal number of the term being served by the person
specified in the row in the corresponding period
10. World Statesmen.org — Provinces of BritishIndia (http://ww
w.worldstatesmen.org/India_BrProvinces.htm)
11. Rajaraman, P. (1988). The Justice Party: a historical
perspective, 1916-37 (https://books.google.com/books?id=G
GMmAAAAMAAJ). Poompozhil Publishers. pp. 212–220.
12. Sundararajan, Saroja (1989).March to freedom in Madras
Presidency, 1916-1947 (https://books.google.com/books?id
=Nr5HAAAAMAAJ). Lalitha Publications. pp. 334–389.
OCLC 20222383 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/20222383).
13. S. Krishnaswamy (1989).The role of Madras Legislature in
the freedom struggle, 1861-1947. People's Pub. House
(New Delhi). pp. 126–131.
14. Though Congress won the election, it refused to form the
government as it did not like the Governor's veto power over 26. This column only names the chief minister's party
the cabinet. The Governor of Madras,Lord Erskine, decided
to form an interim provisional Government with non-
members and opposition members of the Legislative
Assembly. V. S. Srinivasa Sastri was first offered the Chief
Ministership of the interim government but he refused to
accept it. Eventually an interim Government was formed
under Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu on 1 April 1937. It lasted
till July, when the Congress acceptedViceroy Linlithgow's
assurance that the veto would not be abused and decided to
form the government.
15. Ramanathan, K. V. (2008). The Satyamurti letters: the
Indian freedom struggle through the eyes of a
parliamentarian, Volume 1 (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=NY_XjIE6sVUC&pg=PA301). Pearson Education India.
pp. 301–5. ISBN 9788131714881. ISBN 81-317-1488-8,
ISBN 978-81-317-1488-1.
16. Menon, Visalakshi (2003). From movement to government:
the Congress in the United Provinces, 1937-42(https://book
s.google.com/books?id=UO-OxAoL4YIC&pg=PT38) . Sage.
p. 75. ISBN 9780761996200. ISBN 0-7619-9620-6,
ISBN 978-0-7619-9620-0.
17. Nagarajan, Krishnaswami (1989).Dr. Rajah Sir Muthiah
Chettiar: a biography (https://books.google.com/books?id=0
AMcAAAAIAAJ&dq=K.+V+Reddy+interim+Government+193
7&q=erskine#search_anchor). Annamalai University.
pp. 63–70.
18. Congress Ministries in all the provinces of British India
resigned on 29 October 1939 protesting the viceroy's
declaration of war against Germany. Madras Presidency
remained under "the direct rule of the Governor of the
Province" till the next elections were held in March 1946.
(INDIA (FAILURE OF CONSTITUTIONAL MACHINERY) HC
Deb 16 April 1946 vol 421 cc2586-92(http://hansard.millban
ksystems.com/commons/1946/apr/16/india-failure-of-constit
utional-machinery))
19. World Statesmen.org — Indian states since 1947 (http://ww
w.worldstatesmen.org/India_states.html#T
amil%20Nadu)
20. Government of Tamil Nadu — The State Legislature —
Origin and Evolution (http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/history/h
istory.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20100413
233934/http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/history/history.htm) 13
April 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
21. Historical Importance of Kanchipuram(http://kanchi.nic.in/hi
story.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/200605180
21820/http://kanchi.nic.in/history.htm) 18 May 2006 at the
Wayback Machine.
22. "O Panneerselvam resigns as Chief Minister of aTmil Nadu,
cites personal reasons"(http://indianexpress.com/article/indi
a/panneerselvam-resigns-as-chief-minister-of-tamil-nadu-cit
es-personal-reasons/). The Indian Express. 2017-02-05.
Retrieved 2017-02-06.
23. "The Tamil Nadu Legislative Council (Abolition) Act, 1986" (h
ttp://indiankanoon.org/doc/195458/).
24. The Hindu - Delhi's warning(http://www.hinduonnet.com/20
01/07/14/stories/05142523.htm)
25. "Jayalalitha is the first CM to lose post in a graft case"(htt
p://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-jayalalitha-is-the-first-cm-t
o-lose-post-in-a-graft-case-2021997). DNA India. 27
September 2014.
. The state
government he heads may be a complex coalition of several
parties and independents; these are not listed here.
27. "DMK, AIADMK pay homage to Annadurai"(https://web.arch
ive.org/web/20050304035649/http://in.news.yahoo.com/050
203/43/2jec9.html). Archived from the original (http://in.new
s.yahoo.com/050203/43/2jec9.html)on 2005-03-04. "... the
leader's life was cut short by cancer 3 February 1969. "
28. On 21 September 2001, a five-judgeconstitutional bench of
the Supreme Court of Indiaruled in a unanimous verdict that
"a person who is convicted for a criminal offence and
sentenced to imprisonment for a period of not less than two
years cannot be appointed the Chief Minister of a State
under Article 164 (1) read with (4) and cannot continue to
function as such". Thereby, the bench decided that "in the
appointment of Ms. Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister there has
been a clear infringement of a Constitutional provision and
that a writ of quo warranto must issue". In effect her
appointment as Chief Minister was declared null and invalid
with retrospective effect. Therefore, technically, she was not
the Chief Minister in the period between 14 May 2001 and
21 September 2001 (The Hindu — SC unseats Jayalalithaa
as CM (http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2001/09/22/sto
ries/01220001.htm), Full text of the judgment from official
Supreme Court site (http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/qrydisp.
asp?tfnm=17995)).
29. The Hindu - Karunanidhi resigns(http://www.thehindu.com/n
ews/states/tamil-nadu/article2015767.ece)
30. BBC News - New leader for Tamil Nadu state (http://news.bb
c.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4764385.stm)
31. "Jayalalithaa begins third term as Chief Minister today"(htt
p://www.ndtv.com/article/assembly%20polls/jayalalithaa-begi
ns-third-term-as-chief-minister-today-105969). NDTV. 16
May 2011.
32. Jayalalithaa's trusted aide Panneerselvam sworn as aTmil
Nadu's new chief minister(http://economictimes.indiatimes.c
om/news/politics-and-nation/jayalalithaas-trusted-aide-pann
eerselvam-sworn-as-tamil-nadus-new-chief-minister/articles
how/43728299.cms)
33. O Panneerselvam resigns from Chief Minister post(http://tim
esofindia.indiatimes.com/india/TN-CM-O-Panneerselvam-re
signs-makes-way-for-Jayalalithaa-to-take-over/articleshow/4
7379941.cms)
34. "Jayalalitha sworn in as chief minister of T
amil Nadu" (http://
www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-32857257). BBC
News. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
35. PTI. "AIADMK comes to power again; Jayalalitha bucks
tradition" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160520215551/htt
p://www.financialexpress.com/article/india-news/jaya-lalithaa
-bucks-tradition/259429/). The Financial Express. Archived
from the original (http://www.financialexpress.com/article/indi
a-news/jaya-lalithaa-bucks-tradition/259429/)on 20 May
2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
36. "Jayalalithaa no more: O Panneerselvam sworn in as the
new Tamil Nadu CM" (http://www.financialexpress.com/india
-news/jayalalithaa-critical-o-panneerselvam-likely-to-succee
d-as-tamil-nadu-cm-all-you-need-to-know-about-him/46493
3/). The Financial Express. 2016-12-05. Retrieved
2016-12-05.
37. T. Ramakrishnan. "Edappadi Palaniswami sworn in as T amil
Nadu Chief Minister (http://www.thehindu.com/news/nationa
l/tamil-nadu/Edappadi-Palaniswami-sworn-in-as-T amil-Nadu
-Chief-Minister/article17315261.ece)". The Hindu. 17
February 2017.

See also
Elections in Tamil Nadu
History of Tamil Nadu
List of current Indian chief ministers
List of Governors of Tamil Nadu
List of Speakers of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

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