Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu
Madras State and Tamil Nadu, 1947 to today — every Chief Minister, in order
| Term | Chief Minister | Party | Remember |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947–1949 | O.P. Ramaswami Reddiyar | Indian National Congress | First CM of Madras State after independence |
| 1949–1952 | P.S. Kumaraswami Raja | Indian National Congress | Led Madras State through the Republic's early years |
| 1952–1954 | C. Rajagopalachari | Indian National Congress | India's only Governor-General, later CM; pushed the unpopular education scheme |
| 1954–1963 | K. Kamaraj | Indian National Congress | Called the 'King Maker'; resigned in 1963 under his own Kamaraj Plan |
| 1963–1967 | M. Bhaktavatsalam | Indian National Congress | CM during the 1965 anti-Hindi agitation |
| 1967–1969 | C.N. Annadurai | DMK | Renamed Madras State as Tamil Nadu (1969); first non-Congress CM; died in office |
| 1969 (3–10 Feb) | V.R. Nedunchezhiyan | DMK | Acting CM after Annadurai's death; also acted in 1987 after MGR's death |
| 1969–1976 | M. Karunanidhi | DMK | First of his four terms; ended by President's Rule in the Emergency (1976) |
| 1976–1977 | President's Rule (no CM) | Central rule | DMK government dismissed during the national Emergency |
| 1977–1980 | M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) | AIADMK | Founded AIADMK in 1972; raised the retirement age from 55 to 58 |
| 1980 (Feb–Jun) | President's Rule (no CM) | Central rule | Assembly dissolved; MGR returned to power within months |
| 1980–1987 | M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) | AIADMK | Remained CM while hospitalised in the US from 1984; died in office (1987) |
| 1987–1988 | V.R. Nedunchezhiyan | AIADMK | Acting CM again, this time from AIADMK, after MGR's death |
| 1988 (7–30 Jan) | V.N. Janaki Ramachandran | AIADMK | MGR's widow; shortest elected CM term in TN history (24 days) |
| 1988–1989 | President's Rule (no CM) | Central rule | Imposed after the AIADMK split between Janaki and Jayalalithaa |
| 1989–1991 | M. Karunanidhi | DMK | Second term; dismissed by the Centre citing law and order |
| 1991 (Jan–Jun) | President's Rule (no CM) | Central rule | Imposed around the time of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination |
| 1991–1996 | J. Jayalalithaa | AIADMK | Tamil Nadu's first elected woman Chief Minister |
| 1996–2001 | M. Karunanidhi | DMK | Third term |
| 2001 (14 May–21 Sep) | J. Jayalalithaa | AIADMK | Disqualified by courts over a prior conviction, months after taking office |
| 2001–2002 | O. Panneerselvam | AIADMK | First of three stand-in terms for Jayalalithaa |
| 2002–2006 | J. Jayalalithaa | AIADMK | Resumed office after the Supreme Court cleared her |
| 2006–2011 | M. Karunanidhi | DMK | Fourth and last term |
| 2011–2014 | J. Jayalalithaa | AIADMK | Fourth term; vacated office after conviction in the disproportionate-assets case |
| 2014–2015 | O. Panneerselvam | AIADMK | Second stand-in term, while Jayalalithaa's conviction was under appeal |
| 2015–2016 | J. Jayalalithaa | AIADMK | Resumed after acquittal by the Karnataka High Court |
| 2016 (23 May–5 Dec) | J. Jayalalithaa | AIADMK | First TN CM since MGR (1984) to be re-elected; died in office months later |
| 2016–2017 | O. Panneerselvam | AIADMK | Third stand-in term, cut short by an internal AIADMK power struggle |
| 2017–2021 | Edappadi K. Palaniswami | AIADMK | Led AIADMK through the post-Jayalalithaa, post-Sasikala split |
| 2021–2026 | M.K. Stalin | DMK | Renamed the ECR after Karunanidhi (2022); resigned after the 2026 defeat |
| 2026–present | C. Joseph Vijay | TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) | First CM from a non-Dravidian party since 1967; actor-turned-politician; sworn in 10 May 2026 |
Remember
- A gap between two Chief Ministers is almost always President's Rule, not a vacancy — TNPSC sometimes asks how many times it was imposed in Tamil Nadu.
- Watch for the stand-in: O. Panneerselvam was sworn in three separate times, always as a placeholder for Jayalalithaa.
- DMK and AIADMK alternated continuously from 1967 until 2026, when the TVK broke that 59-year run.
Asked in TNPSC
- Who was the first Non-Congress Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu? (2023, JROGS/2023)
- When was the Madras state renamed as Tamil Nadu and who was appointed as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu? (2023, APPSYGT/2023)
- The announcement that ECR will be renamed 'Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar Karunanidhi Salai' was made by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M.K. Stalin in… (2023, SIFGS/2023)
- In Tamil Nadu the retirement age of the Government employee was increased from 55 to 58 years by the Chief Minister… (2018, TOGS/18)
- Match the following: Rajagopalachari / Kamaraj / V.O. Chidambarampillai / Bharathiyar with King Maker / Kappalotiya Thamizhan / Mundasu Kavi / Chanakya (2019, JICGT)
Built from: Samacheer Std 8 Social Science, lesson 1 (How the State Government Works); Samacheer Std 10 Social Science, lessons 9–10 (Freedom Struggle / Social Transformation in Tamil Nadu); TNPSC past papers (materials/keynotes/pyq.jsonl)
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