Chief Minister, council of ministers and the Governor

How a state government is formed

1. 1
   The people elect the members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
2. 2★
   The Governor invites the leader of the majority in the Assembly to be Chief Minister. This is a formal duty.
3. 3
   On the Chief Minister's advice, the Governor appoints the other ministers and gives them portfolios, that is, departments such as health or education.
4. 4
   A Chief Minister or minister who is not a member of either house must become one within six months.
5. 5
   The council of ministers can stay for five years, but only while it keeps the support of the majority in the Assembly.

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Functions of the Chief Minister

• Advises the Governor on appointing ministers and on giving them portfolios.
• Presides over the meetings of the council of ministers and coordinates the work of different ministers.
• Guides the making of the state's policies and programmes, and approves the bills that ministers bring to the legislature.
• Is the sole link between the council of ministers and the Governor. He or she tells the Governor all decisions on running the state and all proposals for new laws.
• If the Governor asks, places before the whole council any matter that a single minister has decided alone.

The Governor and the council of ministers: theory and practice

The Governor may ask for information about how the state is being run. Only when no party has a clear majority does the Governor use his or her own judgement in choosing a Chief Minister.

Position of the Chief Minister

The Chief Minister is the real executive head of the state. He or she shapes policies and guides the ministers who carry them out. That is why the Chief Minister gets the praise or the blame for what happens in the state. A Chief Minister is strongest when one party has an absolute majority, that is, more than half the seats. In a coalition government, partner parties and independent MLAs pull in different directions. This limits the Chief Minister's power, especially when the majority is thin.

Activity: how a coalition government forms

Use a news report of any state election, or the made-up example below.

1. 1
   Find how many seats the Assembly has. A majority is more than half of them.

   Example: in a 200-seat Assembly, a majority is 101 seats.
2. 2
   List the seats won by each party and by independent members.
3. 3
   Check whether any single party has a majority. If not, see which parties could add up to one.

   Example: Party A has 90, Party B has 8 and Party C has 5. Together, 90 + 8 + 5 = 103, which is more than 101.
4. 4
   Note whether the partners made an alliance before the election or came together after the results. Both give a coalition government.
5. 5★
   Write two ways in which a coalition may limit the Chief Minister, for example demands from partners for ministries.

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