Chief Minister is the leader of the ruling party of the state. After the Legislative Assembly elections of the state, the party which gets the largest mandate by the people gets elected to rule the state. The leader of that party is appointed as the Chief Minister of the state by the Governor. Chief Minister enjoys the same powers as the Prime minister of the country but those powers are limited to a state only. Chief Minister plays a pivotal role in the governing of the state and has vast responsibilities. He/she also enjoys enormous power to guarantee the effective working of the state.
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Powers And Functions Of Chief Ministers
Chief Minister acts as the link between the state cabinet and the Governor. He/she is responsible for communicating all the decisions of the Council of Ministers to the Governor. On the advice of the Chief Minister, the Governor can appoint top officials for the effective working of the State.
Chief Minister can only advise the Governor for certain things. Governor also enjoys enormous powers in par with the Chief Minister. But the role of the Governor is only to keep a watch on the effective working of the government and Chief Minister cannot advise or interfere in the workings of the Governor.
Forming and heading the Council of Minsters
Since the Chief Minister is the head of the Cabinet of Ministers there are lots of powers under his/her belt. He/she is responsible for the formation of the state Ministry and can also remove Ministers if they are found to be violating rules and regulations.
Chief Minister is responsible for preparing the list of people who he/she wants to induct in his/her cabinet. After the list of the Minister to be inducted is prepared by the Chief Minister, it is the job of the Governor to appoint them. And on the advice of the Chief Minister they are allocated portfolios or the departments.
The Chief Minister also presides over the cabinet meetings and he/she can impose his/her decisions according to their wishes. The Chief Minister is the one who controls all the agendas of the cabinet meetings and he/she can accept or reject any proposals put forward by the cabinet.
Coordinator for the working of different departments
For the implementation and formulation of a policy different ministries are involved. And it is the job of the Chief Minister to coordinate and supervise the ministries for the successful formulation and implementation of these policies.
The Chief Minister of the state plays a major role in directing the policies related to the welfare of the public and the development of the state.
Leader of the State Legislative Assembly
As the leader of the State Legislative Assembly, all the policy announcements are made by him/her. He/she can control the house by formulating the policies that are appealing and appeasing for the opposition parties. He/she is also responsible for maintaining discipline among his/her members of the party in the Assembly. He/she can appoint a whip whose directive must be obeyed by all the legislators.
Controlling and guiding the Council of Ministers
The Chief Minister is also responsible for controlling and guiding his/her Council of Ministers. If he/she is not pleased with the duties or conduct of any of the minister, he/she has the power to warn or discharge them of their duties.
The Chief Minister can also advise the ministers for effective workings of the department. If a minister is corrupt or even if the minister is not loyal to the Chief Minister, he/she can fire them at their will.
Power to overrule
The Chief Minister also has the power to overrule the decisions of his/her ministers. A minister is only the head of the department that he or she has been allotted. They can only make a roadmap for the policies but the final decision rests upon the Chief Minister. Chief Minister can change or modify any decisions of the ministers if he/she founds it not up to the mark.
As the head of the ruling party and chairman of the cabinet, the Chief Minister is a very powerful position. He/she is the person responsible for the decisions that are made by the government during his/her tenure.
