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The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu have shaped the state’s politics from the days of the Madras Presidency to the present Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Questions on the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister list, the first CM of Tamil Nadu, the longest-serving CM and the party of each CM appear regularly in TNPSC Group 1, Group 2, Group 4 and other competitive exams.
This blog gives the complete Tamil Nadu Chief Minister list 1947 to 2026 with year-wise tenures, full names, political parties, important facts, exam-oriented highlights and FAQs. You can also download the list as a PDF. For the present ministry and portfolios, see the Tamil Nadu Council of Ministers 2026!
TAMIL NADU COUNCIL OF MINISTERS 2026
Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers: Quick Facts
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Current Chief Minister (2026) | C. Joseph Vijay (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam), in office since 10 May 2026 |
| Previous Chief Minister | M. K. Stalin (DMK), 7 May 2021 to 9 May 2026 |
| First CM of Madras Presidency | A. Subbarayalu Reddiar (17 December 1920) |
| First CM of Madras State (after 26 January 1950) | P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja |
| First CM after the name Tamil Nadu (14 January 1969) | C. N. Annadurai |
| First non-Congress CM | C. N. Annadurai (DMK), 1967 |
| First woman CM | V. N. Janaki Ramachandran (1988) |
| Longest-serving CM | M. Karunanidhi, about 19 years across five terms |
| Second longest-serving CM | J. Jayalalithaa, over 14 years |
| Youngest CM | J. Jayalalithaa, aged 43 in 1991 |
| Seat of government | Fort St. George, Chennai |
| Appointed by | Governor of Tamil Nadu |
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister 2026
Following the 2026 Assembly elections, C. Joseph Vijay of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) became the Chief Minister on 10 May 2026, succeeding M. K. Stalin of the DMK. He represents the Perambur constituency in the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. His ministers and portfolios are covered in our detailed on the Tamil Nadu Council of Ministers 2026.
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Enroll Now!Who Appoints the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?
The Governor of Tamil Nadu appoints the Chief Minister, usually inviting the leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (234 elected seats). The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Assembly. The Chief Minister’s term is five years and there is no term limit, as long as the Chief Minister retains the confidence of the House.
Chief Ministers of Madras Presidency (1920 to 1947)
Before independence, the Madras Presidency had the following heads of government after the first elected legislature was formed in 1920.
| No. | Name | Tenure | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A. Subbarayalu Reddiar | 17 Dec 1920 to 11 Jul 1921 | South Indian Liberal Federation (Justice Party) |
| 2 | Panaganti Ramarayaningar (Raja of Panagal) | 11 Jul 1921 to 3 Dec 1926 | Justice Party |
| 3 | P. Subbarayan | 4 Dec 1926 to 27 Oct 1930 | Independent |
| 4 | B. Munuswamy Naidu | 27 Oct 1930 to 4 Nov 1932 | Justice Party |
| 5 | Ramakrishna Ranga Rao (Raja of Bobbili) | 5 Nov 1932 to 4 Apr 1936; again 24 Aug 1936 to 1 Apr 1937 | Justice Party |
| 6 | P. T. Rajan | 4 Apr 1936 to 24 Aug 1936 | Justice Party |
| 7 | Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu | 1 Apr 1937 to 14 Jul 1937 | Independent |
| 8 | C. Rajagopalachari | 14 Jul 1937 to 29 Oct 1939 | Indian National Congress |
| 9 | T. Prakasam | 30 Apr 1946 to 23 Mar 1947 | Indian National Congress |
From 29 October 1939 to 29 April 1946, the province was under Governor’s rule after Congress ministries resigned.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister List 1947 to 2026 (Year-wise)
This is the main list, covering every Chief Minister from 1947 to 2026. The state was called Madras State until 14 January 1969 and Tamil Nadu from then onwards.
| No. | Photo | Chief Minister | Tenure | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Photo] | O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar | 23 Mar 1947 to 6 Apr 1949 | Indian National Congress |
| 2 | [Photo] | P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja | 6 Apr 1949 to 9 Apr 1952 | Indian National Congress |
| 3 | [Photo] | C. Rajagopalachari | 10 Apr 1952 to 13 Apr 1954 | Indian National Congress |
| 4 | [Photo] | K. Kamaraj | 13 Apr 1954 to 2 Oct 1963 | Indian National Congress |
| 5 | [Photo] | M. Bhaktavatsalam | 2 Oct 1963 to 5 Mar 1967 | Indian National Congress |
| 6 | [Photo] | C. N. Annadurai | 6 Mar 1967 to 3 Feb 1969 | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) |
| 7 | [Photo] | V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (acting) | 3 Feb 1969 to 10 Feb 1969 | DMK |
| 8 | [Photo] | M. Karunanidhi (1st and 2nd term) | 10 Feb 1969 to 31 Jan 1976 | DMK |
| 9 | [Photo] | M. G. Ramachandran (1st term) | 30 Jun 1977 to 17 Feb 1980 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) |
| 10 | [Photo] | M. G. Ramachandran (2nd and 3rd term) | 9 Jun 1980 to 24 Dec 1987 | AIADMK |
| 11 | [Photo] | V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (acting) | 24 Dec 1987 to 7 Jan 1988 | AIADMK |
| 12 | [Photo] | V. N. Janaki Ramachandran | 7 Jan 1988 to 30 Jan 1988 | AIADMK |
| 13 | [Photo] | M. Karunanidhi (3rd term) | 27 Jan 1989 to 30 Jan 1991 | DMK |
| 14 | [Photo] | J. Jayalalithaa (1st term) | 24 Jun 1991 to 12 May 1996 | AIADMK |
| 15 | [Photo] | M. Karunanidhi (4th term) | 13 May 1996 to 13 May 2001 | DMK |
| 16 | [Photo] | J. Jayalalithaa (2nd term) | 14 May 2001 to 21 Sep 2001 | AIADMK |
| 17 | [Photo] | O. Panneerselvam (1st term) | 21 Sep 2001 to 2 Mar 2002 | AIADMK |
| 18 | [Photo] | J. Jayalalithaa (3rd term) | 2 Mar 2002 to 12 May 2006 | AIADMK |
| 19 | [Photo] | M. Karunanidhi (5th term) | 13 May 2006 to 15 May 2011 | DMK |
| 20 | [Photo] | J. Jayalalithaa (4th term) | 16 May 2011 to 27 Sep 2014 | AIADMK |
| 21 | [Photo] | O. Panneerselvam (2nd term) | 28 Sep 2014 to 23 May 2015 | AIADMK |
| 22 | [Photo] | J. Jayalalithaa (5th and 6th term) | 23 May 2015 to 5 Dec 2016 | AIADMK |
| 23 | [Photo] | O. Panneerselvam (3rd term) | 6 Dec 2016 to 15 Feb 2017 | AIADMK |
| 24 | [Photo] | Edappadi K. Palaniswami | 16 Feb 2017 to 6 May 2021 | AIADMK |
| 25 | [Photo] | M. K. Stalin | 7 May 2021 to 9 May 2026 | DMK |
| 26 | [Photo] | C. Joseph Vijay | 10 May 2026 to present | Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) |
President’s Rule was in force in Tamil Nadu on four occasions: 31 January 1976 to 29 June 1977, 7 February to 8 June 1980, 30 January 1988 to 26 January 1989, and 30 January 1991 to 23 June 1991.
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Enroll Now!Tamil Nadu CM Full Names
Many exam questions ask for the expanded name of a Chief Minister. Here are the full names for quick revision.
| Short name | Full name |
|---|---|
| C. N. Annadurai | Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai |
| M. Karunanidhi | Muthuvel Karunanidhi |
| M. G. Ramachandran | Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran |
| J. Jayalalithaa | Jayaram Jayalalithaa |
| V. N. Janaki Ramachandran | Vaikom Narayani Janaki Ramachandran |
| O. Panneerselvam | Ottakarathevar Panneerselvam |
| Edappadi K. Palaniswami | Edappadi Karuppa Palaniswami |
| M. K. Stalin | Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin |
| C. Joseph Vijay | Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar |
| K. Kamaraj | Kumaraswami Kamaraj |
| C. Rajagopalachari | Chakravarti Rajagopalachari |
Tamil Nadu CM List by Party
| Party | Chief Ministers (since 1950) |
|---|---|
| Indian National Congress | P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja, C. Rajagopalachari, K. Kamaraj, M. Bhaktavatsalam |
| DMK | C. N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M. K. Stalin (V. R. Nedunchezhiyan acted briefly) |
| AIADMK | M. G. Ramachandran, V. N. Janaki Ramachandran, J. Jayalalithaa, O. Panneerselvam, Edappadi K. Palaniswami |
| Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) | C. Joseph Vijay |
The first four Chief Ministers after 1950 belonged to the Indian National Congress. C. N. Annadurai became the first non-Congress CM in 1967, and the Dravidian parties (DMK and AIADMK) then dominated until 2026, when the TVK formed the government for the first time.
Longest-Serving Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu
| Rank | Chief Minister | Party | Total time in office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M. Karunanidhi | DMK | About 18 years 360 days (five terms) |
| 2 | J. Jayalalithaa | AIADMK | About 14 years 124 days |
| 3 | M. G. Ramachandran | AIADMK | About 10 years 65 days |
| 4 | K. Kamaraj | INC | About 9 years 172 days |
| 5 | M. K. Stalin | DMK | About 5 years |
Important Facts about Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers
- First CM of Madras Presidency: A. Subbarayalu Reddiar (1920).
- First CM of Madras State: P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja, from 26 January 1950.
- First CM of Tamil Nadu: C. N. Annadurai, as the state was renamed Tamil Nadu on 14 January 1969.
- Longest continuous term: K. Kamaraj, about 9 years and 172 days.
- Longest-serving CM overall: M. Karunanidhi, across five terms.
- First woman CM: V. N. Janaki Ramachandran, who served for 23 days in January 1988.
- Youngest CM: J. Jayalalithaa, aged 43 in 1991.
- First film actor to become CM: M. G. Ramachandran, in 1977.
- CMs who died in office: C. N. Annadurai (1969), M. G. Ramachandran (1987) and J. Jayalalithaa (2016).
- Acting CM: V. R. Nedunchezhiyan served as acting Chief Minister twice (1969 and 1987).
- Legislative Council: abolished on 1 November 1986 and not constituted since; the state has a unicameral legislature.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister List PDF Download
Download the complete Tamil Nadu Chief Minister list 1947 to 2026 as a PDF for offline revision.
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- Daily current affairs and quizzes
- Mock tests and previous year question papers
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The list of Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers from 1947 to 2026 reflects the journey from Congress rule under leaders like Kamaraj and Rajaji, through the rise of the Dravidian parties under Annadurai, Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, to the new TVK government under C. Joseph Vijay. Bookmark this page for revision and follow the Entri app for more Tamil Nadu GK and TNPSC updates.
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Enroll Now!Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 2026?
C. Joseph Vijay of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has been the Chief Minister since 10 May 2026.
Who was the first Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?
C. N. Annadurai (DMK) was the first Chief Minister after the state was renamed Tamil Nadu on 14 January 1969. The first Chief Minister of Madras State after 26 January 1950 was P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja.
Who was the first Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency?
A. Subbarayalu Reddiar, who took office on 17 December 1920.
Who is the longest-serving Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?
M. Karunanidhi of the DMK, who served about 19 years across five terms.
Who was the first woman Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?
V. N. Janaki Ramachandran of the AIADMK, in January 1988.
Which party does the Current Tamil Nadu CM belong to?
The present CM, C. Joseph Vijay, belongs to the TVK. Earlier CMs belonged to the DMK, AIADMK and the Indian National Congress.
What is the full name of the Tamil Nadu CM?
The CM’s full name is Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, known as C. Joseph Vijay.
Who was the Chief Minister before C. Joseph Vijay?
M. K. Stalin of the DMK, from 7 May 2021 to 9 May 2026.
How many times has President's Rule been imposed in Tamil Nadu?
Four times: 1976, 1980, 1988 and 1991.
Who was the youngest Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?
J. Jayalalithaa, who became CM at the age of 43 in 1991.
