The chief minister of Maharashtra (IAST: Mahārāṣṭrāce Mukhyamaṃtrī) is the head of government of the Indian state of Maharashtra. As per the Constitution of India, the governor of Maharashtra is the state's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister, a template applicable to all other Indian states. Following elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the governor usually invites the political party (or a coalition of political parties) with a majority of assembly seats to form the government in the state. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose council of ministers is collectively responsible to the assembly. If the appointee is not a member of either the Legislative Council or the Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra, then the Constitution stipulates that they need to be elected within six months of being sworn in. Given that they have the confidence of the assembly, the chief minister's term is for five years, renewable, and is subject to no term limits. Usually, the chief minister also serves as leader of the house in the legislative assembly.
The state of Maharashtra was formed from parts of Bombay and Hyderabad States on 1 May 1960. Yashwantrao Chavan of the Indian National Congress, who was serving as the third chief minister of Bombay since 1956, became the first chief minister of the newly formed state. Marotrao Kannamwar succeeded him after the 1962 assembly elections, and is the only chief minister to die while in office. Vasantrao Naik, whose term extended for more than 11 years from December 1963 to February 1975, has been the longest serving chief minister. With the exception of Devendra Fadnavis of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and four people from Shiv Sena, all other chief ministers have been from the Congress and its breakaway parties. The President's rule has been imposed thrice in the state first from February to June 1980, second from September to October 2014, and lastly in November 2019.
Devendra Fadnavis is the current incumbent serving since 5 December 2024.
Predecessors Prime ministers of Bombay (1937–47) The Bombay Presidency, which existed during the British Raj, was led by the prime minister of Bombay since the creation of the post in 1937.
#PortraitNameTerm of officeAssemblyAppointed by
(Governor)Party1Dhanjishah Cooper1 April 193719 July 19371st Provincial (1937 Elections)The Lord BrabourneIndependent2Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher19 July 19372 November 1939Robert Duncan BellIndian National Congress -Vacant (Governor's Rule)2 November 193930 March 1946Dissolved -N/A(2)Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher30 March 194615 August 19472nd Provincial (1946 Elections)John ColvilleIndian National Congress
Chief ministers of Bombay (1947–60) Following the Indian Independence in 1947, the province of Bombay was established from the erstwhile Bombay Presidency. The Bombay State was created in 1950 following the adoption of the Constitution of India and its territory underwent constant change in the following years. It comprised the Bombay province (roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Maharashtra, excluding South Maharashtra and Vidarbha) and parts of the princely states of the Baroda, Western India and Gujarat (part of present-day Gujarat) and Deccan states (parts of the present-day Maharashtra and Karnataka). During the reorganisation of Indian states in 1956, the Bombay state was enlarged by the addition of Saurashtra and Kutch States, the Marathi-speaking districts of Nagpur Division of Madhya Pradesh and Marathwada region of Hyderabad State, while the southernmost districts of the state were transferred to Mysore State.
#PortraitNameConstituencyTerm of officeAssemblyAppointed by (Governor)Party1Balasaheb Gangadhar KherMLC15 August 194721 April 1952Provincial Assembly 1946 election)John ColvilleIndian National Congress2Morarji DesaiBulsar Chikhli21 April 195231 October 19561st (1952 elections)Raja Maharaj Singh3Yashwantrao ChavanKarad North1 November 19565 April 19571st (1952 elections)Harekrushna MahatabIndian National Congress5 April 195730 April 19602nd (1957 elections)Sri Prakasa
Chief ministers of Maharashtra (1960-present) The Bombay state was dissolved to form the present-day states of Maharashtra and Gujarat by the Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960, which was enacted by the Parliament of India on 25 April 1960 and came into effect on 1 May 1960.
Key No.: Incumbent number Died in office Returned to office after a previous non-consecutive term Resigned Resigned following a no-confidence motion
NoPortraitNameConstituencyTerm of officeAssemblyPartyTook officeLeft officeDuration1Yashwantrao ChavanKarad North1 May 196020 November 19621st (1957 elections)Indian National Congress2Marotrao KannamwarSaoli20 November 196224 November 19632nd (1962 election) 3 P. K. Sawant Chiplun 25 November 1963 5 December 1963 4Vasantrao NaikPusad5 December 19631 March 19671 March 196713 March 19723rd (1967 election)13 March 197221 February 19754th (1972 election)5Shankarrao ChavanBhokar21 February 197517 May 19776Vasantdada PatilMLC17 May 19775 March 1978Sangli5 March 197818 July 19785th (1978 election)Indian National Congress (U)7Sharad PawarBaramati18 July 197817 February 1980Indian Congress (Socialist)–Vacant (President's rule)N/A17 February 19808 June 1980DissolvedN/A8A. R. AntulayShrivardhan9 June 198021 January 19826th (1980 election)Indian National Congress9Babasaheb BhosaleNehrunagar21 January 19822 February 1983(6)Vasantdada PatilSangli2 February 19833 June 198510Shivajirao Patil NilangekarNilanga3 June 198512 March 19867th (1985 election)(5)Shankarrao ChavanMLC12 March 198626 June 1988(7)Sharad PawarBaramati26 June 19884 March 19904 March 199025 June 19918th (1990 election)11Sudhakarrao NaikPusad25 June 19916 March 1993(7)Sharad PawarMLC6 March 199314 March 199512Manohar JoshiDadar14 March 19951 February 19999th (1995 election)Shiv Sena13Narayan RaneMalvan1 February 199918 October 199914Vilasrao DeshmukhLatur18 October 199918 January 200310th (1999 election)Indian National Congress15Sushilkumar ShindeSolapur South18 January 20031 November 2004(14)Vilasrao DeshmukhLatur1 November 2004 8 December 2008 11th (2004 election)16Ashok ChavanMudkhed8 December 20087 November 2009 Bhokar7 November 200911 November 2010 12th (2009 election)17Prithviraj ChavanMLC11 November 201028 September 2014 –Vacant (President's rule)N/A28 September 201430 October 2014DissolvedN/A18Devendra FadnavisNagpur South West31 October 201412 November 201913th (2014 election)Bharatiya Janata Party -Vacant (President's rule)12 November 201923 November 201914th (2019 election)N/A(18)Devendra FadnavisNagpur South West23 November 201928 November 2019Bharatiya Janata Party19Uddhav ThackerayMLC28 November 201930 June 2022 Shiv Sena20Eknath ShindeKopri-Pachpakhadi30 June 20225 December 2024Shiv Sena(18)Devendra FadnavisNagpur South West5 December 2024Incumbent15th (2024 election)Bharatiya Janata Party
Statistics
#Chief MinisterPartyLength of term Longest tenure Total tenure 1 Vasantrao Naik 2 Vilasrao Deshmukh 7 years, 129 days 3 Devendra Fadnavis 4 Sharad Pawar /IC(S) 6 years, 221 days 5 Shankarrao Chavan 4 years, 191 days 6 Manohar Joshi 7 Prithviraj Chavan 8 Vasantdada Patil /INC 3 years, 183 days 9 Uddhav Thackeray 10 Yashwantrao Chavan 11 Eknath Shinde 12 Ashok Chavan 13 Sushilkumar Shinde 14 Sudhakarrao Naik 15 A. R. Antulay 16 Babasaheb Bhosale 17 Marotrao Kannamwar 18 Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar 19 Narayan Rane 20 P. K. Sawant
Timeline
See also List of chairmen of the Maharashtra Legislative Council List of leaders of the house in the Maharashtra Legislative Council List of leaders of the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council List of speakers of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly List of deputy speakers of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly List of leaders of the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
Notes
References