# List of chief ministers of Puducherry

The chief minister of Puducherry is the chief executive of the Indian union territory of Puducherry. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the lieutenant governor is a union territory's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Puducherry Legislative Assembly, the lieutenant governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. The lieutenant 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 1963, Puducherry has had 10 chief ministers. The longest-serving and current chief minister, N. Rangasamy from All India N.R. Congress, held the office for over fifteen years in multiple tenures. The former governor of Kerala M. O. H. Farook has the second-longest tenure and V. Vaithilingam from the Indian National Congress has the third-longest tenure. The inaugural holder Edouard Goubert from the Indian National Congress has the shortest tenure (only 1 year, 71 days). There have been seven instances of president's rule in Puducherry, most recently in 2021.
The current incumbent is N. Rangasamy of the All India N.R. Congress since 7 May 2021.

## Chief Commissioner (1954 – 1963)

| No. | Name | Took office | Left office |
| 2 | Mirza Rashid Ali Baig | circa 1947 | November 1949 |
| 2 | S.K. Banerjee | 31 November 1949 | June 1950 |
| 3 | R.K. Tandon | 10 June 1950 | circa October 1953 |
| 4 | Kewal Singh | circa October 1953 | 21 October 1954 |
After the de facto transfer of French settlements in India, on November 1, 1954, a Chief Commissioner, appointed by Government of India, replaced the last Commissioner of French India, Georges Escargueil. The first High Commissioner, Kewal Singh was appointed immediately after the Kizhoor referendum, on 21 October 1954, as per Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1947.$^{:964}$ The Chief Commissioner had the powers of the former French commissioner, but was under the direct control of the Union Government.$^{:198}$
The list of Chief Commissioners is given below.$^{:977}$
| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | De jure sovereignty | De facto sovereignty |
| 1 | Kewal Singh | 21 October 1954 | 16 November 1956 | France | France (Until Nov 1 1954) India (Since Nov 1 1954) |
| 2 | M.K. Kripalani$^{:103}$ | 17 November 1956 | 27 August 1958 | France | India |
| 3 | Lal Ram Saran Singh$^{:197}$ | 30 August 1958 | 8 February 1961 | France | India |
| 4 | Sisir Kumar Dutta$^{:474–475}$ | 2 May 1961 | 1 August 1963 | France (Until Aug 16 1962) India (Since Aug 16 1962) | India |
| 5 | K.J. Somasundaram$^{:445}$ | 2 August 1963 | 13 October 1963 | India | India |

## List of chief counselors

The French settlements in India were in a transition period between the de facto transfer day (i.e., 1 November 1954) and the de jure transfer day (i.e., 16 August 1962). In January 1955, the government of India, by an order, renamed these four French settlements in India as the State of Pondicherry. Both these transfer days are official holidays within the union territory of Puducherry.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term in office | Term in office | Term in office |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Assumed office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | | Maurice Pakkiriswamy Pillai (1906–1956) | 17 August 1955 | 13 January 1956 | 149 days |
| 2 | | Edouard Goubert (1894–1979) | 17 January 1956 | 24 October 1958 | 2 years, 280 days |
| – | Vacant (25 October 1958 – 8 September 1959) | Vacant (25 October 1958 – 8 September 1959) | Vacant (25 October 1958 – 8 September 1959) | Vacant (25 October 1958 – 8 September 1959) | Vacant (25 October 1958 – 8 September 1959) |
| 3 | | V. Venkatasubba Reddiar (1909–1982) | 9 September 1959 | 30 June 1963 | 3 years, 294 days |

## List of chief ministers

On 10 May 1963, the government of India enacted the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, which came into force on 1 July 1963. This introduced the same pattern of government that prevailed in the rest of the country, but subject to certain limitations. Under Article 239 of the Indian Constitution, the president of India appoints the lieutenant governor of Puducherry with such designation as he may specify to head the administration of the territory. The lieutenant governor appoints the chief minister. The lieutenant governor, on the advice of the chief minister, appoints the council of ministers.
Also, the representative assembly was converted into the legislative assembly of Pondicherry on 1 July 1963 as per Section 54(3) of The Union Territories Act, 1963 and its members were deemed to have been elected to the assembly. Thus, the first legislative assembly was formed without an election. Elections for the assembly have been held since 1964.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Assembly (Election) | Ministry | Appointed by | Political party | Political party |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected constituency | Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | Assembly (Election) | Ministry | Appointed by | Political party | Political party |
| 1 | | Edouard Goubert (1894–1979) | Mannadipet | 1 July 1963 | 10 September 1964 | 1 year, 71 days | 1st (1959) | Goubert | S. K. Datta | Indian National Congress | |
| 2 | | V. Venkatasubba Reddiar (1909–1982) | Nettapakkam | 11 September 1964 | 9 April 1967 | 2 years, 210 days | 2nd (1964) | Reddiar I | S. L. Silam | Indian National Congress | |
| 3 | | M. O. H. Farook (1937–2012) | Karaikal North | 9 April 1967 | 6 March 1968 | 332 days | 2nd (1964) | Farook I | S. L. Silam | Indian National Congress | |
| (2) | | V. Venkatasubba Reddiar (1909–1982) | Nettapakkam | 6 March 1968 | 17 September 1968 | 195 days | 2nd (1964) | Reddiar II | S. L. Silam | Indian National Congress | |
| – | | Vacant (President's rule) | N/A | 18 September 1968 | 16 March 1969 | 179 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| (3) | | M. O. H. Farook (1937–2012) | Kalapet | 17 March 1969 | 2 January 1974 | 4 years, 291 days | 3rd (1969) | Farook II | B. D. Jatti | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| – | | Vacant (President's rule) | N/A | 3 January 1974 | 5 March 1974 | 61 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| 4 | | S. Ramassamy (1939–2017) | Karaikal South | 6 March 1974 | 28 March 1974 | 22 days | 4th (1974) | Ramassamy I | Cheddi Lal | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| – | | Vacant (President's rule) | N/A | 29 March 1974 | 1 July 1977 | 3 years, 94 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| (4) | | S. Ramassamy (1939–2017) | Karaikal South | 2 July 1977 | 12 November 1978 | 1 year, 133 days | 5th (1977) | Ramassamy II | B. T. Kulkarni | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| – | | Vacant (President's rule) | N/A | 13 November 1978 | 15 January 1980 | 1 year, 63 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| 5 | | M. D. R. Ramachandran (1934–2024) | Mannadipet | 16 January 1980 | 23 June 1983 | 3 years, 158 days | 6th (1980) | Ramachandran I | B. T. Kulkarni | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| – | | Vacant (President's rule) | N/A | 24 June 1983 | 15 March 1985 | 1 year, 264 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| (3) | | M. O. H. Farook (1937–2012) | Lawspet | 16 March 1985 | 7 March 1990 | 4 years, 356 days | 7th (1985) | Farook III | T. P. Tewary | Indian National Congress | |
| (5) | | M. D. R. Ramachandran (1934–2024) | Mannadipet | 8 March 1990 | 2 March 1991 | 359 days | 8th (1990) | Ramachandran II | Chandrawati | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| – | | Vacant (President's rule) | N/A | 3 March 1991 | 3 July 1991 | 122 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| 6 | | V. Vaithilingam (b. 1950) | Nettapakkam | 4 July 1991 | 25 May 1996 | 4 years, 326 days | 9th (1991) | Vaithilingam I | Harswarup Singh | Indian National Congress | |
| 7 | | R. V. Janakiraman (1941–2019) | Nellithope | 26 May 1996 | 21 March 2000 | 3 years, 300 days | 10th (1996) | Janakiraman | Rajendra Kumari Bajpai | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| 8 | | P. Shanmugam (1927–2013) | Yanam | 22 March 2000 | 23 May 2001 | 1 year, 219 days | 10th (1996) | Shanmugam I | Rajani Rai | Indian National Congress | |
| 8 | | P. Shanmugam (1927–2013) | Yanam | 24 May 2001 | 27 October 2001 | 1 year, 219 days | 11th (2001) | Shanmugam II | Rajani Rai | Indian National Congress | |
| 9 | | N. Rangasamy (b. 1950) | Thattanchavady | 27 October 2001 | 12 May 2006 | 6 years, 313 days | 11th (2001) | Rangasamy I | Rajani Rai | Indian National Congress | |
| 9 | | N. Rangasamy (b. 1950) | Thattanchavady | 13 May 2006 | 4 September 2008 | 6 years, 313 days | 12th (2006) | Rangasamy II | Madan Mohan Lakhera | Indian National Congress | |
| (6) | | V. Vaithilingam (b. 1950) | Nettapakkam | 4 September 2008 | 15 May 2011 | 2 years, 253 days | 12th (2006) | Vaithilingam II | Govind Singh Gurjar | Indian National Congress | |
| (9) | | N. Rangasamy (b. 1950) | Kadirkamam | 16 May 2011 | 5 June 2016 | 5 years, 20 days | 13th (2011) | Rangasamy III | Iqbal Singh | All India N.R. Congress | |
| 10 | | V. Narayanasamy (b. 1947) | Nellithope | 6 June 2016 | 22 February 2021 | 4 years, 261 days | 14th (2016) | Narayanasamy | Kiran Bedi | Indian National Congress | |
| – | | Vacant (President's rule) | N/A | 23 February 2021 | 6 May 2021 | 72 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| (9) | | N. Rangasamy (b. 1950) | Thattanchavady | 7 May 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 316 days | 15th (2021) | Rangasamy IV | Tamilisai Soundararajan | All India N.R. Congress | |

### Timeline
## Statistics
### List of chief ministers by length of term

| No. | Name | Party | Party | Length of term | Length of term |
| No. | Name | Party | Party | Longest continuous term | Total years of chief ministership |
| 1 | N. Rangasamy | AINRC/INC | | 6 years, 313 days | 15 years, 285 days |
| 2 | M. O. H. Farook | INC/DMK | | 4 years, 356 days | 10 years, 249 days |
| 3 | V. Vaithilingam | INC | | 4 years, 326 days | 7 years, 214 days |
| 4 | V. Narayanasamy | INC | | 4 years, 261 days | 4 years, 261 days |
| 5 | M. D. R. Ramachandran | DMK | | 3 years, 158 days | 4 years, 152 days |
| 6 | R. V. Janakiraman | DMK | | 3 years, 300 days | 3 years, 300 days |
| 7 | V. Venkatasubba Reddiar | INC | | 2 years, 210 days | 3 years, 40 days |
| 8 | S. Ramassamy | AIADMK | | 1 year, 133 days | 1 year, 155 days |
| 9 | P. Shanmugam | INC | | 1 year, 219 days | 1 year, 219 days |
| 10 | Edouard Goubert | INC | | 1 year, 71 days | 1 year, 71 days |

### List by party

Political parties by total time-span of their member holding CMO (19 March 2025) :
| No. | Political party | Number of chief ministers | Total days of holding CMO |
| 1 | Indian National Congress | 7 | 10319 days |
| 2 | All India N.R. Congress | 1 | 3259 days |
| 2 | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 3 | 2568 days |
| 4 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 1 | 520 days |

### Parties by total duration (in days) of holding Chief Minister's Office

* INC
* AINRC
* DMK
* AIADMK