Chief Minister in India

India follows a democratic structure of governance. i.e. we elect our own leaders to administer and govern the state and on a large scale, the country. The electoral breakdown of our country is as follows

• Central government

• State government

• Municipal corporation

• Municipalities 

• Gram Panchayats 

Different Levels of Governance in India

The Central Government

The governmental system of our country focuses on going deeper into smaller and smaller areas for better governance. The top level of governance is the central government that is responsible for the country's overall administration and management. The central government is also responsible for external affairs, the country's defense, and finance. All the important decisions that can affect the country on a global stature are in the hands of the central government. The central government also is responsible for administering all the union territories except Delhi NCR. The central government is headed by the prime minister. The prime minister in turn appoints subordinate ministers who are responsible for different portfolios such as defense and external affairs, information technology, to name a few. 

The State Government

The state government is the second level of governance in the multi-tiered legislature of India. Every state has its own government and hence there are 29 state governments in India. Multiple regional and national parties compete in the quest to become the ruling party of a state. The state government is in charge of state affairs and development. The state government is seated in the capital of the state and is responsible for the overall development of the state. The state government plays a deterministic role in the actual development of the country since they are a lower level of governance. If the state government is efficient, the state's development flourishes. The state government is headed by the appointment of the chief minister in India. The chief minister in India is the head of every state government and he, in turn, appoints subordinate ministers of the state. Just like the Central Government, even in the state government, the different ministers are responsible for different portfolios. Every state has an IT minister, development minister, healthcare minister, to name a few. These ministers take care of their portfolio and contribute to the development of a state. 

The Municipal Corporation

The municipal corporation Is the lower tier of governance. Municipal corporations are generally the governing bodies for metropolitan cities and state capitals. They are elected by local elections and are responsible for the development of the city. The municipal corporation focuses on glorifying the city and catering to even the smallest needs of the citizens. Development and maintenance of roads, provision of electricity, the water corporation, and such basic necessities are looked into by the municipal corporation. The municipal corporation is headed by a mayor and the work of administering is done collectively by the mayor and his subordinates. 

Municipality

Municipalities are just like municipal corporations but their area of governance is much smaller. Like municipal corporations are the administering bodies of a metropolitan city, the municipality is the governing body of a town. Towns are just smaller cities with much less population. The functioning of a municipality is similar to a municipal corporation, the only difference is the area of governance. The municipality is responsible for the maintenance of a town. They are the ones who are accountable for providing the basic necessities to the citizens of the town. The municipality, like a municipal corporation, is also headed by a mayor.

Gram Panchayat

Gram panchayat is the lowest level of governance in the multi-tiered governance system of India. The gram panchayat is the administering body of a village. They are in fact one of the most important governing bodies. This is mainly because villages are the independent entity that holds a sizable population and it is believed that even now, the major chunk of the population continues to reside in villages. The gram panchayat is elected by the local villagers and a council of 5 people is elected. These 5 people are the members of the panchayat, they look into the administration of a village and help the village counter even the smallest of the problems. This council of 5 members is in turn headed by a sarpanch. The sarpanch is considered the headman of the village. 

Now that we've understood how the governance in our country works, let us go into detail and understand more about the powers and functions of the chief minister and how the appointment of chief minister in India is held. 

Appointment of Chief Minister in India

According to the Indian legislature, the governor is considered as the head of a state. However, the chief minister is the head of the government and is responsible for the smooth functioning of the state. According to the Indian constitution, there are some eligibility criteria for the appointment of chief minister in India, listed below are the eligibility criterion

• He/ she must be a citizen of India 

• He/she must be a member of the state's legislature

• He/she must be above the age of 25

If the person meets the above-mentioned criteria, he/she can stand for elections with the support of a political party. If in case the party wins the election, a member of the party will be eligible for the appointment of chief minister in India. 

What are the Different Powers and Functions of the Chief Minister?

The state government as we've seen earlier is the governing body of an entire state. The state government takes care of interstate quarrels as well and of course, is responsible for the state's growth and development. The state government controls the healthcare system, the education system, development system, tax department, and all the crucial internal affairs of the state. The state government plays a deterministic role in the development and advancement of a state. The chief minister in India is the head of the state government, hence it is obviously a job of great responsibility. The chief minister is the head of all the ministers and all the ministers are hence under him. He/ she is the decision-maker and plays a key role in the development and functioning of a state. Let us take a look at the powers and functions of chief minister

1. The chief minister serves as an adviser to the governor. He/she recommends capable political leaders who could serve as the head of a particular ministry to the governor. The governor appoints ministers of the state in accordance with what the chief minister recommends, hence the chief minister has a crucial role in the appointment of the ministry. 

2. The chief minister also is responsible for reshuffling the portfolios among the council of ministers. He/ she often reallocates the ministries to introduce dynamic views. 

3. The chief minister serves as the chairperson of the ministers and heads all the meetings of the state. He/she directs the plan of action to the ministers and helps organize all the ministries and puts them together. 

4. The Chief Minister is the head of the cabinet. Hence, if the chief minister of the state resigns, all the other ministers are obliged to resign. 

5. The chief minister represents the state in any national-level meetings and acts as the representative of the state. 

What is article 167 of the Indian constitution? 

Our constitution is one of the biggest in the world and has clearly distinguished the role of each governmental post. Article 167 of the Indian constitution lists down all the responsibilities of the chief minister. Here's what it states. 

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1. The CM is responsible for communicating all the decisions taken by the council of ministers to the governor. He is responsible for providing any necessary information to the governor. 

2. The Chief Minister in India recommends capable leaders who can take up important roles such as attorney-general, state election commission, state public service commission.

3. The new policies introduced by the government are announced in the sabha by the chief minister. 

4. He also recommends the dissolution of a legislative assembly. 

5. He is the chairman of the state's planning committee.

6. In case of a situation of emergency, the chief minister acts as the crisis manager and if the crisis elevates further, he reaches out to the central government.