The Government of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is a southern state in the territory of India. It was founded on 26 January 1950. This state is known for its distinctive culture and rich history. The state has been the origin land of the Dravidian culture and traditions from ancient times. After the independence of India from the British Raj in 1947, the modern-day Tamil Nadu state came into existence, and it followed a similar governance system as provided by the constitution of India. The following article explores the government of Tamil Nadu and its important organs like the Tamil Nadu’s chief minister and governor.

Background and Administrative Divisions

The state of Tamil Nadu is one of the largest and most densely populated states in India; it ranks as the 10th largest state in land area and 6th largest in population. The state has 38 districts with more than 72 million citizens; the following is the list of administrative divisions in Tamil Nadu state. As per data in 2022 Tamil Nadu have

• Districts: 38
• Revenue Divisions: 76
• Taluks: 220
• Municipal Corporations: 21
• Municipalities: 150
• Panchayat Unions: 385
• Town Panchayats: 561
• Gram Panchayats: 12,524

Structure

The governance in India is divided into three institutions of India: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. It is no different for the state of Tamil Nadu. The governor of Tamilnadu is the head of the state, Tamil Nadu chief minister serves as the head of the government or the council of ministers, and the chief justice of the state High Court serves as the head of the judiciary.

The following are important points for the structure of the Tamil Nadu government,(As per data in 2022)

• Governor of Tamilnadu: Mr R.N Ravi
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister: Mr M.K Stalin (DMK)
• The seat of the High Court: Madras High Court
• Chief Justice:                        Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari 

Tamil Nadu: Legislature

The legislature of Tamil Nadu is unicameral or also called a single house legislative system. And the seat of the legislature is placed in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in Fort St. George, Chennai. The legislative assembly of Tamil Nadu is composed of 234 seats or constituencies; all the members of the legislative assembly are elected every five years.

The Tamil Nadu government party or the leading party in the state legislature is DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam). The DMK won 125 seats in the 2021 general elections and, allying with UPA parties, was able to form a majority government. Mr M.K Stalin of DMK was elected as Tamil Nadu chief minister; he represents the constituency of Kolathur. 

The following are important posts in the legislature of Tamil Nadu,

• Legislature Type (Tamil Nadu): Unicameral Legislature
• Speaker of the House(Tamil Nadu): M Appavu (DMK)
• Deputy Speaker(Tamil Nadu): K. Pitchandi (DMK)
• Leader of the Opposition(Tamil Nadu): Edappadi K. Palaniswami (AIADMK)
• Deputy Leader of the Opposition(Tamil Nadu): O. Panneerselvam (AIADMK)

The Governor of Tamil Nadu

The constitution of India in Article 153 gives the provision for the office of governor for all the states in the country. A state governor is appointed by the President of India who serves as the head of the state. The governor holds an important position in the political hierarchy and is vested with some essential executive powers.

The present governor of Tamilnadu state is Mr R.N Ravi; Mr Ravi assumed the office of the governor of Tamilnadu state on 18 September 2021; he has previously served as an IPS officer.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

The Chief Minister of a state is the head of the government or head of the council of the minister in the state’s legislative council. The chief ministers are elected by direct elections and usually serve a tenure of 5 years; the state governor appoints them. The present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is Mr M.K Stalin; Mr Stalin was appointed the chief minister after the 2021 assembly elections.

The following is the list of last six chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and period of their tenure,

1. M.K Stalin (DMK): 7-05-2021-Present
2. Edapaddi K. Palaniswami (AIADMK) 16/02/2017- 6/05/2021
3. O. Panneerselvam (AIADMK) 5/12/2016 – 15/02/2017
4. J. Jayalalithaa (AIADMK) 23/05/2015 – 5/12/2016
5. O. Panneerselvam (AIADMK) 28/09/2014 – 23/05/2015
6. J. Jayalalithaa (AIADMK) 16/05/2011 – 27/09/2014

The Council of Ministers

In the state legislature, the council of ministers is the council of elected leaders. Currently, there are 38 ministers in the council of ministers and out of which the Tamil Nadu chief minister heads the council. The ministers are responsible for the various state government departments; they discuss and draft bills for the state’s goodwill. The bills preceded by the legislature are sent directly to the governor of Tamil Nadu.

Conclusion

The modern state of Tamil Nadu was formed on 26 January 1950, after the formation of the Republic of India; it is a southern state in India. The state follows the governance system as given in the Indian Constitution; Tamil Nadu state has a unicameral state legislature. The governor of Tamil Nadu is elected by the President of India and is also the head of the state. The Tamil Nadu chief minister serves as the head of the state government. The current legislature’s major Tamil Nadu government party is DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).