# List of chief ministers of Tamil Nadu

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, the state's 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 1952, Tamil Nadu has had 12 chief ministers, 13 including V. R. Nedunchezhiyan, who twice acted in the role. The longest-serving chief minister, M. Karunanidhi from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam held the office for over eighteen years in multiple tenures, while he was the one who had the largest gap between two terms (nearly thirteen years). The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's former general secretary J. Jayalalithaa has the second-longest tenure, and its founder M. G. Ramachandran, the first actor to become the chief minister in India has the third-longest tenure, while his wife V. N. Janaki Ramachandran has the shortest tenure (only 23 days). K. Kamaraj resigned his post of his own free will and devoted all of his energy to the revitalization of the Indian National Congress party; he was responsible for the elevation of Lal Bahadur Shastri to the position of Prime Minister of the Republic of India following the death of Jawaharlal Nehru and of Indira Gandhi following the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri. C. Rajagopalachari served as the last Governor-General of the Union of India before becoming chief minister of undivided Madras State. There have been four instances of president's rule in Tamil Nadu, most recently in 1991.
The current incumbent is M. K. Stalin of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam since 7 May 2021.

## List of chief ministers

The Madras Presidency, headquartered in Fort St. George, India, was a presidency of India that comprised present day Tamil Nadu, the Malabar region of North Kerala, the coastal and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, and the Bellary, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi districts of Karnataka. It was established in 1653 to be the headquarters of the English settlements on the Coromandel Coast.
The territory under the presidency comprised only Madrasapattinam and its surrounding regions. But, after the Anglo-French wars and the consequent alliance between the English East India Company and the Nawab of Arcot, it was expanded to comprise the region from the Northern Circars to Cape Comorin. The governance structure also evolved from a modest secretariat with a single secretary for the Public Department in 1670 to six departments overseen by a chief secretary by 1920.
The Indian Councils Act 1861 set up the Madras Legislative Council as an advisory body, without powers, through which the colonial administration obtained advice and assistance from able and willing Indian business leaders. But membership was selected (not elected) and was not representative of the masses.
With the enactment of the Government of India Act 1919, the first legislature was formed in 1920 after general elections. The term of the legislative council was three years. It had 132 members, of whom 34 were nominated by the governor and the rest were elected. Under the Government of India Act 1935, a bicameral legislature was set up with a legislative assembly consisting of 215 members and a legislative council having 56 members. The first legislative assembly under this act was constituted in July 1937. The legislative council was a permanent body, with a third of its members retiring every 3 years and having the power to decide on bills passed by the assembly.
In 1939, the Governor-General of India declared India's entry into World War II without consulting the Imperial Legislative Council. The Indian National Congress protested by asking all its elected representatives to resign from governments. Then it came back to power in 1946 after new provincial elections.
Chief Ministers of the Madras Presidency :
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Council (Election) | Ministry | Appointed by | Political party | Political party |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected constituency | Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | Council (Election) | Ministry | Appointed by | Political party | Political party |
| 1 | | A. Subbarayalu Reddiar (1855–1921) | Member of the Legislative Council | 17 December 1920 | 11 July 1921 | 206 days | 1st (1920) | Reddiar | Frederic Thesiger | South Indian Liberal Federation | |
| 2 | | Panaganti Ramarayaningar (1866–1928) | Member of the Legislative Council | 11 July 1921 | 11 September 1923 | 5 years, 145 days | 1st (1920) | Ramarayaningar I | Rufus Isaacs | South Indian Liberal Federation | |
| 2 | | Panaganti Ramarayaningar (1866–1928) | Member of the Legislative Council | 12 September 1923 | 3 December 1926 | 5 years, 145 days | 2nd (1923) | Ramarayaningar II | Rufus Isaacs | South Indian Liberal Federation | |
| 3 | | P. Subbarayan (1889–1962) | Member of the Legislative Council | 4 December 1926 | 27 October 1930 | 3 years, 327 days | 3rd (1926) | Subbarayan | Edward Wood | Independent | |
| 4 | | B. Munuswamy Naidu (1885–1935) | Member of the Legislative Council | 27 October 1930 | 4 November 1932 | 2 years, 8 days | 4th (1930) | Naidu | Edward Wood | South Indian Liberal Federation | |
| 5 | | Ramakrishna Ranga Rao (1901–1978) | Member of the Legislative Council | 5 November 1932 | 5 November 1934 | 3 years, 151 days | 4th (1930) | Rao I | Freeman Freeman-Thomas | South Indian Liberal Federation | |
| 5 | | Ramakrishna Ranga Rao (1901–1978) | Member of the Legislative Council | 5 November 1934 | 4 April 1936 | 3 years, 151 days | 5th (1934) | Rao II | Freeman Freeman-Thomas | South Indian Liberal Federation | |
| 6 | | P. T. Rajan (1892–1974) | Member of the Legislative Council | 4 April 1936 | 24 August 1936 | 142 days | 5th (1934) | Rajan | Freeman Freeman-Thomas | South Indian Liberal Federation | |
| (5) | | Ramakrishna Ranga Rao (1901–1978) | Member of the Legislative Council | 24 August 1936 | 1 April 1937 | 220 days | 5th (1934) | Rao III | Victor Hope | South Indian Liberal Federation | |
| 7 | | Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu (1875–1942) | Member of the Legislative Council | 1 April 1937 | 14 July 1937 | 104 days | 1st (1937) | Naidu | Victor Hope | Independent | |
| 8 | | C. Rajagopalachari (1878–1972) | Member of the Legislative Council | 14 July 1937 | 29 October 1939 | 2 years, 107 days | 1st (1937) | Rajagopalachari I | Victor Hope | Indian National Congress | |
| – | | Vacant (Governor-General's rule) | N/A | 29 October 1939 | 29 April 1946 | 6 years, 182 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| 9 | | T. Prakasam (1872–1957) | Member of the Legislative Council | 30 April 1946 | 23 March 1947 | 327 days | 2nd (1946) | Prakasam | Archibald Wavell | Indian National Congress | |
| 10 | | Omanthur P. Ramaswamy Reddiar (1895–1970) | Member of the Legislative Council | 23 March 1947 | 6 April 1949 | 2 years, 14 days | 2nd (1946) | Reddiar | Archibald Nye | Indian National Congress | |
| 11 | | P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja (1898–1957) | Member of the Legislative Council | 6 April 1949 | 25 January 1950 | 294 days | 2nd (1946) | Raja | Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji | Indian National Congress | |

### Development after independence

Madras State, the precursor to the present-day state of Tamil Nadu, was created after India became a republic on 26 January 1950. It comprised present-day Tamil Nadu and parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala. The first legislature of the Madras State to be elected on the basis of universal suffrage was constituted on 1 March 1952, after the general elections held in January 1952.
The state was split up along linguistic lines in 1953, carving out Andhra State. Under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, the states of Kerala, and Mysore State were carved out of Madras State. Under the Andhra Pradesh and Madras Alteration of Boundaries Act, 1959, with effect from 1 April 1960, Tiruttani taluk and Pallipattu sub-taluk of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh were transferred to Madras in exchange for territories from the Chingelput and Salem districts.
Chief Ministers of Madras State :
| 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 | | P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja (1898–1957) | Member of the Legislative Council | 26 January 1950 | 9 April 1952 | 2 years, 74 days | 2nd (1946) | Raja | Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji | Indian National Congress | |
| 2 | | C. Rajagopalachari (1878–1972) | Member of the Legislative Council | 10 April 1952 | 13 April 1954 | 2 years, 3 days | 1st (1952) | Rajagopalachari II | Sri Prakasa | Indian National Congress | |
| 3 | | K. Kamaraj (1903–1975) | Gudiyatham | 13 April 1954 | 12 April 1957 | 9 years, 172 days | 1st (1952) | Kamaraj I | Sri Prakasa | Indian National Congress | |
| 3 | | K. Kamaraj (1903–1975) | Sattur | 13 April 1957 | 14 March 1962 | 9 years, 172 days | 2nd (1957) | Kamaraj II | A. J. John | Indian National Congress | |
| 3 | | K. Kamaraj (1903–1975) | Sattur | 15 March 1962 | 2 October 1963 | 9 years, 172 days | 3rd (1962) | Kamaraj III | Bishnu Ram Medhi | Indian National Congress | |
| 4 | | M. Bhakthavatsalam (1897–1987) | Sriperumbudur | 2 October 1963 | 5 March 1967 | 3 years, 154 days | 3rd (1962) | Bhakthavatsalam | Bishnu Ram Medhi | Indian National Congress | |
| 5 | | C. N. Annadurai (1909–1969) | Member of the Legislative Council | 6 March 1967 | 13 January 1969 | 1 year, 313 days | 4th (1967) | Annadurai | Ujjal Singh | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |

### Change in nomenclature

During the term of the fourth assembly on 18 July 1967, the house unanimously adopted and recommended that steps be taken by the state government to secure the necessary amendment to the Constitution of India to change the name of Madras State to Tamil Nadu. Accordingly, the Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act, 1968 (Central Act 53 of 1968) was passed by the Parliament of India and came into force on 14 January 1969. Consequently, the nomenclature "Madras Legislative Assembly" was changed to "Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly". From 1967 onward, the strength of the assembly continued to remain at 234 plus a nominated member.
From 1952 to 1986, the state had a parliamentary system of government with two democratically elected houses, the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. On 14 May 1986, the state government passed a resolution to abolish the legislative council in the state, which was then moved and adopted by the house. On 1 November 1986, Tamil Nadu became a state with a unicameral legislature, and since then, several times, the state government has taken steps to reconstitute the legislative council, but they have failed for so long. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Council has not been constituted in the state till date.
Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu :
| 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 | | C. N. Annadurai (1909–1969) | Member of the Legislative Council | 14 January 1969 | 3 February 1969 | 20 days | 4th (1967) | Annadurai | Ujjal Singh | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| Acting | | V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (1920–2000) | Triplicane | 3 February 1969 | 10 February 1969 | 7 days | 4th (1967) | Nedunchezhiyan I | Ujjal Singh | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| 2 | | M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018) | Saidapet | 10 February 1969 | 14 March 1971 | 6 years, 355 days | 4th (1967) | Karunanidhi I | Ujjal Singh | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| 2 | | M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018) | Saidapet | 15 March 1971 | 31 January 1976 | 6 years, 355 days | 5th (1971) | Karunanidhi II | Ujjal Singh | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| – | | Vacant (President's rule) | N/A | 31 January 1976 | 29 June 1977 | 1 year, 149 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| 3 | | M. G. Ramachandran (1917–1987) | Aruppukottai | 30 June 1977 | 17 February 1980 | 2 years, 232 days | 6th (1977) | Ramachandran I | Prabhudas B. Patwari | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| – | | Vacant (President's rule) | N/A | 17 February 1980 | 8 June 1980 | 112 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| (3) | | M. G. Ramachandran (1917–1987) | Madurai West | 9 June 1980 | 9 February 1985 | 7 years, 198 days | 7th (1980) | Ramachandran II | Prabhudas B. Patwari | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| (3) | | M. G. Ramachandran (1917–1987) | Andipatti | 10 February 1985 | 24 December 1987 | 7 years, 198 days | 8th (1984) | Ramachandran III | S. L. Khurana | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| Acting | | V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (1920–2000) | Athoor | 24 December 1987 | 7 January 1988 | 14 days | 8th (1984) | Nedunchezhiyan II | S. L. Khurana | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| 4 | | V. N. Janaki Ramachandran (1923–1996) | did not contest | 7 January 1988 | 30 January 1988 | 23 days | 8th (1984) | Janaki | S. L. Khurana | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| – | | Vacant (President's rule) | N/A | 30 January 1988 | 26 January 1989 | 362 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| (2) | | M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018) | Harbour | 27 January 1989 | 30 January 1991 | 2 years, 3 days | 9th (1989) | Karunanidhi III | P. C. Alexander | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| – | | Vacant (President's rule) | N/A | 30 January 1991 | 23 June 1991 | 144 days | Dissolved | N/A | – | N/A | |
| 5 | | J. Jayalalithaa (1948–2016) | Bargur | 24 June 1991 | 12 May 1996 | 4 years, 323 days | 10th (1991) | Jayalalithaa I | Bhishma Narain Singh | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| (2) | | M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018) | Chepauk | 13 May 1996 | 13 May 2001 | 5 years | 11th (1996) | Karunanidhi IV | Marri Chenna Reddy | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| (5) | | J. Jayalalithaa (1948–2016) | did not contest | 14 May 2001 | 21 September 2001 | 130 days | 12th (2001) | Jayalalithaa II | Fathima Beevi | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| 6 | | O. Panneerselvam (b. 1951) | Periyakulam | 21 September 2001 | 2 March 2002 | 162 days | 12th (2001) | Panneerselvam I | C. Rangarajan | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| (5) | | J. Jayalalithaa (1948–2016) | Andipatti | 2 March 2002 | 12 May 2006 | 4 years, 71 days | 12th (2001) | Jayalalithaa III | P. S. Ramamohan Rao | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| (2) | | M. Karunanidhi (1924–2018) | Chepauk | 13 May 2006 | 15 May 2011 | 5 years, 2 days | 13th (2006) | Karunanidhi V | Surjit Singh Barnala | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| (5) | | J. Jayalalithaa (1948–2016) | Srirangam | 16 May 2011 | 27 September 2014 | 3 years, 134 days | 14th (2011) | Jayalalithaa IV | Surjit Singh Barnala | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| (6) | | O. Panneerselvam (b. 1951) | Bodinayakanur | 28 September 2014 | 23 May 2015 | 237 days | 14th (2011) | Panneerselvam II | Konijeti Rosaiah | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| (5) | | J. Jayalalithaa (1948–2016) | Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar | 23 May 2015 | 22 May 2016 | 1 year, 196 days | 14th (2011) | Jayalalithaa V | Konijeti Rosaiah | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| (5) | | J. Jayalalithaa (1948–2016) | Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar | 23 May 2016 | 5 December 2016 | 1 year, 196 days | 15th (2016) | Jayalalithaa VI | Konijeti Rosaiah | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| (6) | | O. Panneerselvam (b. 1951) | Bodinayakanur | 6 December 2016 | 15 February 2017 | 72 days | 15th (2016) | Panneerselvam III | C. Vidyasagar Rao | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| 7 | | Edappadi K. Palaniswami (b. 1954) | Edappadi | 16 February 2017 | 6 May 2021 | 4 years, 79 days | 15th (2016) | Palaniswami | C. Vidyasagar Rao | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| 8 | | M. K. Stalin (b. 1953) | Kolathur | 7 May 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 316 days | 16th (2021) | Stalin | Banwarilal Purohit | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |

### 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 | M. Karunanidhi | DMK | | 6 years, 355 days | 18 years, 360 days |
| 2 | J. Jayalalithaa | AIADMK | | 4 years, 323 days | 14 years, 124 days |
| 3 | M. G. Ramachandran | AIADMK | | 7 years, 198 days | 10 years, 65 days |
| 4 | K. Kamaraj | INC | | 9 years, 172 days | 9 years, 172 days |
| 5 | Edappadi K. Palaniswami | AIADMK | | 4 years, 79 days | 4 years, 79 days |
| 6 | M. K. Stalin | DMK | | 3 years, 316 days | 3 years, 316 days |
| 7 | M. Bhakthavatsalam | INC | | 3 years, 154 days | 3 years, 154 days |
| 8 | P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja | INC | | 2 years, 74 days | 2 years, 74 days |
| 9 | C. Rajagopalachari | INC | | 2 years, 3 days | 2 years, 3 days |
| 10 | C. N. Annadurai | DMK | | 1 year, 334 days | 1 year, 334 days |
| 11 | O. Panneerselvam | AIADMK | | 237 days | 1 year, 106 days |
| 12 | V. N. Janaki Ramachandran | AIADMK | | 23 days | 23 days |
| Acting | V. R. Nedunchezhiyan | AIADMK/DMK | | 14 days | 21 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 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 5 (+1 acting) | 11004 days |
| 2 | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 3 (+1 acting) | 9052 days |
| 3 | Indian National Congress | 4 | 6247 days |

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

* AIADMK
* DMK
* INC