India is an independent, secular, democratic republic ruled by a parliamentary system as a confederation of states. The President of the country is the executive branch’s constitutional head. As the President’s representative, the Governor is in charge of the executive branch in the states. The governing system in the states is remarkably similar to that of the union. There are 28 states and eight union territories in the country. To oversee the union territories, the President selects an administrator.

Who is a Chief Minister?

Each Indian state and, in rare instances, a union territory (like Delhi and Puducherry) has an elected chief minister. 

After a state Vidhan Sabha election, the Governor calls the party or alliance with the most seats in the legislative assembly to form the government. The Governor then appoints the Chief Minister, who is selected by his party MLAs to serve as the leader of the state and Council of Ministers.

Eligibility

The following are the eligibility criteria to become a chief minister:

1. He/She must be a citizen of India.
2. The minimum age should be 25.
3. He/She should be a member of the state legislative assembly. 

List of all Chief Ministers of India

Who is a Governor?

Governors of India’s states have similar power and authority as the President of India at the national level. Governors are appointed to states, whereas Lieutenant Governors are appointed to union territories, such as the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Eligibility 

The following are the eligibility to become a Governor:

1. He/She should not hold any office of profit.
2. The minimum age should be 35.
3. He/She should not be a member of the state Legislative Assembly, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Chief Minister of Odisha Shri Naveen Patnaik

Naveen Patnaik, the current and 14th Chief Minister of Odisha, was born on October 16, 1946. He is also the Biju Janata Dal’s leader and a novelist who has authored three books. He is Odisha’s longest-serving chief minister and, as of 2022, one of India’s longest-serving chief ministers with more than two decades in power. He is only the third Indian chief minister to win five consecutive terms in office, following Pawan Chamling and Jyoti Basu.

How does Shri Naveen Patnaik continue to win elections?

1. Naveen Patnaik became the Chief Minister of Odisha in 2000, and the state has experienced significant progress since then.
2. His government established medical institutions in the districts of Koraput and Mayurbhanj in Odisha.
3. The Make in Odisha summit has attracted more than 3,000 crore in investment from India’s and Japan’s leading corporations. No other state has achieved this feat.
4. In 1999, Odisha saw the biggest natural calamity (super cyclone), which resulted in the loss of many lives. However, when Phailin reached coastal Odisha in 2013, there were no reported casualties. By evacuating about one million people from shoreline regions during Phailin, the Odisha government minimised human losses. The United Nations honoured Naveen Patnaik for establishing a standard in disaster management.
5. Odisha was formerly considered a financially insolvent state, unable to pay its employees’ salaries, but it is now a state noted for its financial management prowess.
6. It has progressed from a state renowned for its lack of connection to the country’s greatest road networks.
7. The administration of Naveen Patnaik made the groundbreaking decision to give 1% agricultural loans.

Governor of Maharashtra Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari

Bhagat Singh Koshyari is a politician from India born on June 17, 1942. An RSS member, Koshyari was the BJP’s National Vice-President and Uttarakhand’s first State President. He served as the second Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (formerly known as Uttaranchal) from 2001 to 2002 and the opposition leader in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly from 2002 to 2003. He has also served as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly as a Member of the Legislative Council and Member of Legislative Assembly. He assumed office as the Governor of Maharashtra on September 19, 2019.

Achievements of Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari

Shri Koshiyari has earned several laurels in his long and distinguished career.

1. He established several schools in Uttarakhand, such as Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Pithoragarh, Saraswati Vihar Higher Secondary School, Nainital, and Vivekanand Vidya Mandir Inter College, Pithoragarh.
2. He always maintained his commitment to education, even after years in politics.
3. He is the Governor of Maharashtra and the University of Mumbai’s Chancellor. Several significant advancements in Maharashtra’s higher education have occurred since 2019 during his governorship.
4. He is also a chancellor of Dr Homi Bhabha State University and HSNC University.
5. Shri Koshiyari made extended efforts to rehabilitate villagers displaced during the Tehri Dam construction.

As a renowned scholar, he has penned two books: ‘Uttaranchal Pradesh Kyun?’ and ‘Uttaranchal: Sangharsh Evam Samadhan.’