List of chief ministers of Maharashtra

Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Mahārāṣṭrāche Mukhyamantrī
	Emblem of Maharashtra
	Incumbent; Devendra Fadnavis; since 5 December 2024
	Government of Maharashtra
Style	The Honorable; Mr. Chief Minister; His Excellency
Status	Head of Government
Abbreviation	CM
Member of	Vidhan Sabha; Vidhan Parishad; Cabinet;
Residence	Varsha Bungalow, Malabar Hill, Mumbai
Seat	Mantralaya, Mumbai
Appointer	Governor of Maharashtra
Term length	At the confidence of the assembly; 5 years and is subject to no term limits.
Precursor	Prime Minister of Bombay
Inaugural holder	Dhanjishah Bomanjee Cooper; (as Prime Minister of Bombay State); Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher; (as Chief Minister of Bombay State); Yashwantrao Chavan; (as Chief Minister of Maharashtra);
Formation	1 May 1960; (64 years ago)
Deputy	Eknath Shinde Ajit Pawar
Salary	₹340,000 (US$4,100)/monthly; ₹4,080,000 (US$49,000)/annually;
Website	CMO Maharashtra

The chief minister of Maharashtra (IAST: Mahārāṣṭrāce Mukhyamaṃtrī) is the head of the executive branch of the government of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Following elections to the Legislative Assembly, the governor invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government and appoints the chief minister. If the appointee is not a member of either the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council of Maharashtra, then the Constitution stipulates that they need to be elected within six months of being sworn in.^[2] The office of the CM is coterminous with the concurrent Assembly provided the CM commands confidence in the house and hence does not exceed five years. However, it is subject to no term limits.^[1]

Maharashtra was formed by dissolution of Bombay State and Hyderabad State on 1 May 1960.^[3] Yashwantrao Chavan, who was serving as the third CM of Bombay State since 1956, became the first CM of Maharashtra. He belonged to the Indian National Congress and held the office until the 1962 Assembly elections. Marotrao Kannamwar succeeded him and was the only CM to die while in office.^[4]^[5] Vasantrao Naik, who was in office from December 1963 to February 1975 for more than 11 years, has by far been the longest serving CM. He also was the first and only CM to complete his full term of five years (1967-1972) till Devendra Fadnavis matched it (2014-2019). With the exceptions of Manohar Joshi (SS), Narayan Rane (SS), Devendra Fadnavis (BJP), Uddhav Thackeray (SS) and Eknath Shinde (SS), all other CMs have been from the Congress or its breakaway parties.^[6]^[7]^[8]

So far, President's rule has been imposed thrice in the state: first from February to June 1980 and again from September to October 2014. It was again imposed on 12 November 2019.^[9]^[10]

The current incumbent is Devendra Fadnavis of the Bharatiya Janata Party since 5 December 2024.^[11]

Precursors

Key

Colour key for political parties

Indian National Congress

Indian National Congress (Urs)

Indian Congress (Socialist)

Shiv Sena

Bharatiya Janata Party

N/A (President's rule)

Chief Ministers of Bombay (1937–50)^[a]

#^[b]	Name	Term of Office			Assembly	Appointed by (Governor)	Party
1	Dhanjishah Cooper	1 April 1937	19 July 1937^[13]	140 days	1st Provincial (1937 Elections)	The Lord Brabourne	Independent
2	Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher	19 July 1937^[13]^[14]	2 November 1939^[15]	2 years, 106 days	1st Provincial (1937 Elections)	Robert Duncan Bell	Indian National Congress
-	Vacant (Governor's Rule)	2 November 1939	30 March 1946	6 years, 148 days	Dissolved	-	N/A
(2)	Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher	30 March 1946	26 January 1950	3 years, 302 days	2nd Provincial (1946 Elections)	Sir John Colville	Indian National Congress

Chief Ministers of Bombay State (1947–60)

#^[c]	Name	Constituency	Term of Office			Assembly	Appointed by (Governor)	Party
1	Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher	MLC	15 August 1947	21 April 1952	4 years, 250 days	Provincial Assembly 1946 election)	Sir John Colville	Indian National Congress
2	Morarji Desai	Bulsar Chikhli	21 April 1952	31 October 1956	4 years, 193 days	1st (1952 elections)	Raja Sir Maharaj Singh	Indian National Congress
Chief Ministers of Bombay State (1956–60)^[d]
3	Yashwantrao Chavan	Karad North	1 November 1956	5 April 1957	3 years, 181 days	1st (1952 elections)	Harekrushna Mahatab	Indian National Congress
3	Yashwantrao Chavan	Karad North	5 April 1957	30 April 1960	3 years, 181 days	2nd (1957 elections)	Sri Prakasa	Indian National Congress

Chief Ministers of Maharashtra

Key

No.: Incumbent number
^† Died in office
^§ Returned to office after a previous non-consecutive term
^RES Resigned
^NC Resigned following a no-confidence motion

Chief Ministers of Maharashtra^[e] (1960–present) (Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960)^[17]
No	Portrait	Name	Constituency	Term of office			Assembly	Party (Alliance)^[18]
No	Portrait	Name	Constituency	Took office	Left office	Duration	Assembly	Party (Alliance)^[18]
1		Yashwantrao Chavan	Karad North	1 May 1960	20 November 1962	2 years, 203 days	1st (1957 elections)	Indian National Congress
2		Marotrao Kannamwar	Saoli	20 November 1962	24 November 1963 †	1 year, 4 days	2nd (1962 election)
3		P. K. Sawant	Chiplun	25 November 1963	5 December 1963	10 days
4		Vasantrao Naik	Pusad	5 December 1963	1 March 1967	11 years, 78 days
				1 March 1967	13 March 1972		3rd (1967 election)
				13 March 1972	21 February 1975		4th (1972 election)
5		Shankarrao Chavan	Bhokar	21 February 1975	17 May 1977	2 years, 85 days
6		Vasantdada Patil	MLC	17 May 1977	5 March 1978	1 year, 62 days
6		Vasantdada Patil	Sangli	5 March 1978	18 July 1978	1 year, 62 days	5th (1978 election)	Indian National Congress (U) (Congress - Congress (I))
7		Sharad Pawar	Baramati	18 July 1978	17 February 1980	1 year, 214 days	5th (1978 election)	Indian Congress (Socialist)
–		Vacant^[f] (President's rule)	N/A	17 February 1980	8 June 1980	112 days	Dissolved^[20]	N/A
8		A. R. Antulay	Shrivardhan	9 June 1980	21 January 1982	1 year, 226 days	6th (1980 election)	Indian National Congress
9		Babasaheb Bhosale	Nehrunagar	21 January 1982	2 February 1983	1 year, 12 days
(6)		Vasantdada Patil	Sangli	2 February 1983	3 June 1985	2 years, 121 days
10		Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar	Nilanga	3 June 1985	12 March 1986	282 days	7th (1985 election)
(5)		Shankarrao Chavan	MLC	12 March 1986	26 June 1988	2 years, 106 days
(7)		Sharad Pawar	Baramati	26 June 1988	4 March 1990	2 years, 364 days
(7)		Sharad Pawar	Baramati	4 March 1990	25 June 1991	2 years, 364 days	8th (1990 election)
11		Sudhakarrao Naik	Pusad	25 June 1991	6 March 1993	1 year, 254 days
(7)		Sharad Pawar	Baramati	6 March 1993^[§]	14 March 1995	2 years, 8 days
12		Manohar Joshi	Dadar	14 March 1995	1 February 1999	3 years, 324 days	9th (1995 election)	Shiv Sena (NDA)
13		Narayan Rane	Malvan	1 February 1999	18 October 1999	259 days	9th (1995 election)	Shiv Sena (NDA)
14		Vilasrao Deshmukh	Latur City	18 October 1999	18 January 2003	3 years, 92 days	10th (1999 election)	Indian National Congress (MA)
15		Sushilkumar Shinde	Solapur South	18 January 2003	1 November 2004	1 year, 288 days	10th (1999 election)
(14)		Vilasrao Deshmukh	Latur City	1 November 2004^[§]	8 December 2008	4 years, 37 days	11th (2004 election)
16		Ashok Chavan	Bhokar	8 December 2008	7 November 2009	1 year, 338 days	11th (2004 election)
16		Ashok Chavan	Bhokar	7 November 2009	11 November 2010	1 year, 338 days	12th (2009 election)
17		Prithviraj Chavan	MLC	11 November 2010	28 September 2014	3 years, 321 days	12th (2009 election)
–		Vacant^[f] (President's rule)	N/A	28 September 2014	30 October 2014	32 days	Dissolved	N/A
18		Devendra Fadnavis	Nagpur South West	31 October 2014	12 November 2019	5 years, 12 days	13th (2014 election)	Bharatiya Janata Party (MY)
-		Vacant^[f] (President's rule)		12 November 2019	23 November 2019	11 days	14th (2019 election)	N/A
(18)		Devendra Fadnavis	Nagpur South West	23 November 2019	28 November 2019	5 days^[g]		Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP-NCP)
19		Uddhav Thackeray	MLC	28 November 2019	30 June 2022	2 years, 214 days		Shiv Sena (MVA)
20		Eknath Shinde	Kopri-Pachpakhadi	30 June 2022	5 December 2024	2 years, 158 days		Shiv Sena (MY)
(18)		Devendra Fadnavis	Nagpur South West	5 December 2024	Incumbent	10 days	15th (2024 election)	Bharatiya Janata Party (MY)

Statistics

Fraction of time of holding CMO by party (as of December 2024)

Indian National Congress (73.00%)

Shiv Sena (14.81%)

Bharatiya Janata Party (7.88%)

Indian Congress (Socialist) (2.48%)

Indian National Congress (U) (1.83%)

#	Chief Minister	Party		Term of office
#	Chief Minister	Party		Longest continuous term	Total duration of chief ministership
1	Vasantrao Naik		INC	11 years, 78 days	11 years, 78 days
2	Vilasrao Deshmukh		INC	4 years, 37 days	7 years, 129 days
3	Sharad Pawar		INC/IC(S)	2 years, 364 days	6 years, 221 days
4	Devendra Fadnavis		BJP	5 years, 12 days	5 years, 27 days
5	Shankarrao Chavan		INC	2 years, 106 days	4 years, 191 days
6	Manohar Joshi		SS	3 years, 324 days	3 years, 324 days
7	Prithviraj Chavan		INC	3 years, 321 days	3 years, 321 days
8	Vasantdada Patil		INC(U)/INC	2 years, 121 days	3 years, 183 days
9	Uddhav Thackeray		SS	2 years, 214 days	2 years, 214 days
10	Yashwantrao Chavan		INC	2 years, 203 days	2 years, 203 days
11	Eknath Shinde		SS/BSS	2 years, 158 days	2 years, 158 days
12	Ashok Chavan		INC	1 year, 338 days	1 year, 338 days
13	Sushilkumar Shinde		INC	1 year, 288 days	1 year, 288 days
14	Sudhakarrao Naik		INC	1 year, 254 days	1 year, 254 days
15	A. R. Antulay		INC	1 year, 226 days	1 year, 226 days
16	Babasaheb Bhosale		INC	1 year, 12 days	1 year, 12 days
17	Marotrao Kannamwar		INC	1 year, 4 days	1 year, 4 days
18	Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar		INC	0 year, 282 days	0 year, 282 days
19	Narayan Rane		SS	0 year, 259 days	0 year, 259 days
20	P. K. Sawant		INC	0 year, 10 days	0 year, 10 days

Timeline

Notes

^ After India's Independence, Bombay State was created and its territory underwent constant change in the following years. It comprised Bombay Presidency (roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Maharashtra, excluding South Maharashtra and Vidarbha), the princely states of the Baroda, Western India and Gujarat (the present-day Indian state of Gujarat) and Deccan States (which included parts of the present-day Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka).^[12]
^ A parenthetical number indicates that the incumbent has previously held office.
^ A parenthetical number indicates that the incumbent has previously held office.
^ States Reorganisation Act, 1956: Bombay State was enlarged by the addition of Saurashtra State and Kutch State, the Marathi-speaking districts of Nagpur Division of Madhya Pradesh and Marathwada region of Hyderabad State. The southernmost districts of the Bombay Presidency were transferred to Mysore State.^[16]
^ 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.^[3]
^ ^a ^b ^c Under Article 356 of the Constitution of India, in the event that a state government is unable to function according to constitutional provisions, the Central government can take direct control of the state machinery through the Governor. When President's rule is in force in a state, its council of ministers stands dissolved. The office of chief minister thus lies vacant. At times, the legislative assembly also stands dissolved.^[19]
^ Fadnavis sworn in as CM on 23 November 2019 at 8:00 am and resigned on 26 November 2019 at 4:00 pm making him the CM with shortest tenure ever in the history of India.^[21]^[22] Before him, Jagdambika Pal had the shortest tenure as chief minister. He was the CM of Uttar Pradesh for 44 hours from 21 to 23 February 1998 and both Fadnavis and Pal were from BJP.^[23] P. K. Sawant from INC was the CM with shortest term before Fadnavis for Maharastra; became CM on 25 November 1963 and his tenure ended on 4 December 1963.^[24]

References

^ ^a ^b Durga Das Basu. Introduction to the Constitution of India. 1960. 20th Edition, 2011 Reprint. pp. 241, 245. LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur. ISBN 978-81-8038-559-9. Note: although the text talks about Indian state governments in general, it applies for the specific case of Maharashtra as well.
^ "Chavan elected to Legislative Council". @businessline. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
^ ^a ^b "The Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960" (PDF). India Code - Digital Repository of Legislation. 25 April 1960. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2018.
^ "Before Jayalalithaa, 16 chief ministers who died in office". The Indian Express. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
^ "Jayalalithaa is dead: Here are other chief ministers who died while still in office - Firstpost". firstpost.com. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
^ "Down but not out". The Telegraph India. 10 July 2011. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
^ Palshikar, Suhas; Birmal, Nitin; Ghotale, Vivek (2010). "Coalitions in Maharashtra Political fragmentation or Social Reconfiguration?" (PDF). Savitribai Phule Pune University.
^ "Indira Gandhi installed as president of break-away faction of Congress Party". India Today. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
^ "Use of President's Rule peaked on February 17, 1980: Some facts". India Today. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
^ "President's rule: 'Unprecedented but logical'". @businessline. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
^ "Devendra Fadnavis takes oath as Maha CM, Shinde & Ajit his deputies". The Times of India. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
^ Desai, S. H. (1972). A critical study of the development of secondary education for girls in Gujarat its history and present day problems (PhD Thesis). Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda: Shodhganga : a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET. pp. 411–420. hdl:10603/57937.
^ ^a ^b Bombay 1937-1938: A Review of the Administration of the Bombay Presidency. Mumbai: Government Central Press, Bombay. 1939. pp. 160–161.
^ "Chief Ministers (1937 to 2019)" (PDF). Maharashtra Legislature (in Marathi). Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^ "Forgotten fact: Most Mumbaiites are breaking the law when they grab a drink". 17 May 2015.
^ "The States Reorganisation Act, 1956" (PDF). India Code - Digital Repository of Legislations. 31 August 1956. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2018.
^ "Explained: How Gujarat, Maharashtra came into being". The Indian Express. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
^ Palshikar, Suhas; Birmal, Nitin; Ghotale, Vivek (2010). "Coalitions in Maharashtra Political fragmentation or Social Reconfiguration?" (PDF). Savitribai Phule Pune University.
^ Amberish K. Diwanji. "A dummy's guide to President's rule". Rediff.com. 15 March 2005. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
^ "Information sought under RTI Act, 2005" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (Government of India). 27 June 2014. p. 7 of 14. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
^ "Why Was Devendra Fadnavis Maharashtra CM For Just 80 Hours? BJP MP Answers". HuffPost. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
^ "After 80 hours as Maharashtra CM, Fadnavis submits resignation to governor". Live Mint. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
^ "Only 80 hrs: Devendra Fadnavis becomes Maharashtra CM with shortest tenure ever". India Today. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
^ "Maharashtra: Only 80 hours – Fadnavis now CM for shortest tenure in state history". The Indian Express. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.

[13] After India's Independence, Bombay State was created and its territory underwent constant change in the following years. It comprised Bombay Presidency (roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Maharashtra, excluding South Maharashtra and Vidarbha), the princely states of the Baroda, Western India and Gujarat (the present-day Indian state of Gujarat) and Deccan States (which included parts of the present-day Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka).^[12]

[14] A parenthetical number indicates that the incumbent has previously held office.

[18] A parenthetical number indicates that the incumbent has previously held office.

[20] States Reorganisation Act, 1956: Bombay State was enlarged by the addition of Saurashtra State and Kutch State, the Marathi-speaking districts of Nagpur Division of Madhya Pradesh and Marathwada region of Hyderabad State. The southernmost districts of the Bombay Presidency were transferred to Mysore State.^[16]

[21] 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.^[3]

[PR-25] Under Article 356 of the Constitution of India, in the event that a state government is unable to function according to constitutional provisions, the Central government can take direct control of the state machinery through the Governor. When President's rule is in force in a state, its council of ministers stands dissolved. The office of chief minister thus lies vacant. At times, the legislative assembly also stands dissolved.^[19]

[31] Fadnavis sworn in as CM on 23 November 2019 at 8:00 am and resigned on 26 November 2019 at 4:00 pm making him the CM with shortest tenure ever in the history of India.^[21]^[22] Before him, Jagdambika Pal had the shortest tenure as chief minister. He was the CM of Uttar Pradesh for 44 hours from 21 to 23 February 1998 and both Fadnavis and Pal were from BJP.^[23] P. K. Sawant from INC was the CM with shortest term before Fadnavis for Maharastra; became CM on 25 November 1963 and his tenure ended on 4 December 1963.^[24]

[term1-1] Durga Das Basu. Introduction to the Constitution of India. 1960. 20th Edition, 2011 Reprint. pp. 241, 245. LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur. ISBN 978-81-8038-559-9. Note: although the text talks about Indian state governments in general, it applies for the specific case of Maharashtra as well.

[2] "Chavan elected to Legislative Council". @businessline. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

[BomReorg1960-3] "The Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960" (PDF). India Code - Digital Repository of Legislation. 25 April 1960. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2018.

[4] "Before Jayalalithaa, 16 chief ministers who died in office". The Indian Express. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

[5] "Jayalalithaa is dead: Here are other chief ministers who died while still in office - Firstpost". firstpost.com. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

[6] "Down but not out". The Telegraph India. 10 July 2011. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.

[:0-7] Palshikar, Suhas; Birmal, Nitin; Ghotale, Vivek (2010). "Coalitions in Maharashtra Political fragmentation or Social Reconfiguration?" (PDF). Savitribai Phule Pune University.

[8] "Indira Gandhi installed as president of break-away faction of Congress Party". India Today. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

[9] "Use of President's Rule peaked on February 17, 1980: Some facts". India Today. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2018.

[10] "President's rule: 'Unprecedented but logical'". @businessline. Retrieved 1 March 2018.

[11] "Devendra Fadnavis takes oath as Maha CM, Shinde & Ajit his deputies". The Times of India. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.

[12] Desai, S. H. (1972). A critical study of the development of secondary education for girls in Gujarat its history and present day problems (PhD Thesis). Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda: Shodhganga : a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET. pp. 411–420. hdl:10603/57937.

[RABP-15] Bombay 1937-1938: A Review of the Administration of the Bombay Presidency. Mumbai: Government Central Press, Bombay. 1939. pp. 160–161.

[16] "Chief Ministers (1937 to 2019)" (PDF). Maharashtra Legislature (in Marathi). Retrieved 15 May 2021.

[17] "Forgotten fact: Most Mumbaiites are breaking the law when they grab a drink". 17 May 2015.

[19] "The States Reorganisation Act, 1956" (PDF). India Code - Digital Repository of Legislations. 31 August 1956. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2018.

[22] "Explained: How Gujarat, Maharashtra came into being". The Indian Express. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2021.

[:02-23] Palshikar, Suhas; Birmal, Nitin; Ghotale, Vivek (2010). "Coalitions in Maharashtra Political fragmentation or Social Reconfiguration?" (PDF). Savitribai Phule Pune University.

[24] Amberish K. Diwanji. "A dummy's guide to President's rule". Rediff.com. 15 March 2005. Retrieved 3 March 2013.

[26] "Information sought under RTI Act, 2005" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (Government of India). 27 June 2014. p. 7 of 14. Retrieved 23 May 2018.

[27] "Why Was Devendra Fadnavis Maharashtra CM For Just 80 Hours? BJP MP Answers". HuffPost. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.

[28] "After 80 hours as Maharashtra CM, Fadnavis submits resignation to governor". Live Mint. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.

[29] "Only 80 hrs: Devendra Fadnavis becomes Maharashtra CM with shortest tenure ever". India Today. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.

[30] "Maharashtra: Only 80 hours – Fadnavis now CM for shortest tenure in state history". The Indian Express. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.

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