Chief Ministers of Himachal Pradesh
7 people have held the office, across 16 terms, from formation to today.
Every Chief Minister
Most recent first, with a short biography where one is available.
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
Incumbent11 Dec 2022 – present · 3 years, 8 months
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (born 27 March 1964) is an Indian politician. He is serving as the 7th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh since 11 Dec 2022 and also serving as leader of the house in legislative assembly. As a member of Indian National Congress, he is a 4-time and incumbent MLA from Nadaun assembly constituency of Himachal Pradesh. Wikipedia →
27 Dec 2017 – 11 Dec 2022 · 4 years, 11 months
Jai Ram Thakur (born 6 January 1965) is an Indian politician, and is the current leader of the opposition in Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly since 2022. He was earlier served as Chief Minister of state. He is serving his sixth term as MLA in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, winning continuously since 1998 and has previously served as a Cabinet Minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party Government of Himachal Pradesh. Wikipedia →
24 Mar 1998 – 25 Dec 2012 · 9 years, 11 months · 2 terms
Prem Kumar Dhumal (pronounced [preːmə kʊmaːrə d̪ʱuːmələ]; born 10 April 1944) is an Indian politician who has twice served as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, from March 1998 to March 2003 and again from 1 January 2008 to 25 December 2012. He was the Bharatiya Janata Party's Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2017 Himachal Assembly Election, in which he lost his seat. As chief minister of Himachal, its phone tapping scandal took place, where phones of over 1100 civilians were illegally recorded, where permission was only taken for around 170 phones. Wikipedia →
Virbhadra Singh
8 Apr 1983 – 27 Dec 2017 · 21 years · 5 terms
Virbhadra Singh ([viːrəbʰəd̪rə siⁿɦə] ; 23 June 1934 – 8 July 2021) was an Indian politician who served six terms and 21 years as the 4th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. A leader of the Indian National Congress party, he was elected nine times as a Member of Legislative Assembly to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha and five times as Member of Parliament to the Lok Sabha. Virbhadra Singh was popularly known by the honorific Raja Sahib. Wikipedia →
Shanta Kumar
22 Jun 1977 – 15 Dec 1992 · 5 years, 5 months · 2 terms
Shanta Kumar Sharma (born 12 September 1934) is an Indian politician who was the 3rd Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and a Union Minister in the Government of India. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was elected to the 9th Lok Sabha from Kangra constituency in 1989. Wikipedia →
28 Jan 1977 – 8 Apr 1983 · 3 years, 4 months · 2 terms
Thakur Ram Lal (7 July 1929 – 6 July 2002) was an Indian politician and a leader of the Indian National Congress from Himachal Pradesh. Wikipedia →
Yashwant Singh Parmar
8 Mar 1952 – 10 Mar 1972 · 13 years, 4 months · 3 terms
Yashwant Singh Parmar (4 August 1906 – 2 May 1981) was an Indian politician. He was a leader of the Indian National Congress and the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh state. Upon the formation of the constituent assembly of India in 1946, he represented Himachal Pradesh in the constituent assembly. Wikipedia →
Full timeline
Every term and every President's or Governor's Rule interval, most recent first.
| 11 Dec 2022 – present | Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu | INC | 3 years, 8 months |
| 27 Dec 2017 – 11 Dec 2022 | Jai Ram Thakur | BJP | 4 years, 11 months |
| 25 Dec 2012 – 27 Dec 2017 | Virbhadra Singh | INC | 5 years |
| 30 Dec 2007 – 25 Dec 2012 | Prem Kumar Dhumal | BJP | 4 years, 11 months |
| 6 Mar 2003 – 30 Dec 2007 | Virbhadra Singh | INC | 4 years, 9 months |
| 24 Mar 1998 – 6 Mar 2003 | Prem Kumar Dhumal | BJP | 4 years, 11 months |
| 3 Dec 1993 – 24 Mar 1998 | Virbhadra Singh | INC | 4 years, 3 months |
| 15 Dec 1992 – 3 Dec 1993 | President's / Governor's Rule — President's Rule (BJP state government dismissed following the December 1992 Babri Masjid demolition) | 11 months | |
| 5 Mar 1990 – 15 Dec 1992 | Shanta Kumar | BJP | 2 years, 9 months |
| 8 Mar 1985 – 5 Mar 1990 | Virbhadra Singh | INC | 4 years, 11 months |
| 8 Apr 1983 – 8 Mar 1985 | Virbhadra Singh | INC | 1 year, 11 months |
| 14 Feb 1980 – 8 Apr 1983 | Thakur Ram Lal | INC | 3 years, 1 month |
| 22 Jun 1977 – 14 Feb 1980 | Shanta Kumar | JNP | 2 years, 7 months |
| 30 Apr 1977 – 22 Jun 1977 | President's / Governor's Rule — President's Rule | 1 month | |
| 28 Jan 1977 – 30 Apr 1977 | Thakur Ram Lal | INC | 3 months |
| 25 Jan 1971 – 10 Mar 1972 | Yashwant Singh Parmar | INC | 1 year, 1 month |
| 1 Jul 1963 – 25 Jan 1971 | Yashwant Singh Parmar | INC | 7 years, 6 months |
| 31 Oct 1956 – 1 Jul 1963 | President's / Governor's Rule — Office abolished; Himachal Pradesh was a Union Territory without a legislature during this period (Part C State status ended, statehood/legislature not yet restored) | 6 years, 8 months | |
| 8 Mar 1952 – 31 Oct 1956 | Yashwant Singh Parmar | INC | 4 years, 7 months |
Himachal Pradesh transitioned from a 'Part C State' (1952) to a Union Territory without legislature (1956-1963), then a UT with legislature (1963-1971), then full statehood (25 Jan 1971) — Parmar's tenure was continuous across the 1963-1972 rows with no actual gap.