Appointer Governor of Jharkhand Formation 15 November 2000 | Inaugural holder Babulal Marandi | |
The Chief Minister of Jharkhand, an east Indian state, is the head of the Government of Jharkhand. As per the Constitution of India, the Governor of Jharkhand is the state's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, the governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose council of ministers are collectively responsible to the assembly. Given that he has the confidence of the assembly, the chief minister's term is for five years and is subject to no term limits.
Since Jharkhand's creation in 2000, when it was carved out from the hilly southern districts of Bihar, six people have served as the state's chief minister, half of whom belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including Babulal Marandi, the inaugural officeholder. His party-mate Arjun Munda is the longest-serving chief minister—over five years, across three terms. Two chief ministers come from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), namely Shibu Soren and his son Hemant Soren. The state has also been governed by an independent, Madhu Koda. In between their reigns, the state has also been under President's rule thrice.
The BJP's Raghubar Das is the incumbent chief minister, following his swearing-in on 28 December 2014.