👤 Governor & Chief Ministers of UP

The Governor of Uttar Pradesh

The Governor is the constitutional head of the state, appointed by the President of India under Article 153 of the Constitution. The Governor's office is located at the Raj Bhavan in Lucknow.

For exam preparation, it is helpful to separate two layers:

• timeless constitutional facts such as appointment, powers, and articles
• current officeholder facts, which can change and should always be read with a date

As per official UP government websites checked on June 3, 2026:

• Governor of Uttar Pradesh: Anandiben Patel
• Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath

Qualifications and Tenure

Feature	Detail
Appointment	By President of India (on advice of Union Council of Ministers)
Minimum age	35 years
Term	5 years (serves at pleasure of the President)
Oath administered by	Chief Justice of the High Court

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Powers of the Governor

Executive Powers:

• All executive action of the state is taken in the Governor's name.
• Appoints the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers (on CM's advice for other ministers).
• Appoints the Advocate General, State Election Commissioner, UPPSC Chairman.

Legislative Powers:

• Summons, prorogues, and dissolves the Vidhan Sabha.
• Addresses the first session of each year (Governor's Address).
• Nominates 1/6 members of the Vidhan Parishad (16-17 MLCs).
• Can reserve a Bill for the President's consideration.
• Promulgates Ordinances when the legislature is not in session (Article 213).

Judicial Powers:

• Can grant pardons, reprieves, and commutations under Article 161 (for offences against state laws).

Discretionary Powers:

• Recommending President's Rule (Article 356).
• Choosing the CM when no party has a clear majority.

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Notable Governors of UP

Governor	Period	Significance
Sarojini Naidu	1947-1949	First woman Governor in India — poetess, freedom fighter, "Nightingale of India"
Kanailal Maneklal Munshi	1952-1957	Writer, freedom fighter
B. Gopala Reddy	1957-1960	Former CM of Andhra Pradesh
Bishambhar Nath Pande	1967-1971	Scholar-politician
Motilal Vora	1993-1996	Oversaw multiple political transitions
T.V. Rajeshwar	2004-2009	Former IB Director
Ram Naik	2014-2019	Former Union Minister
Anandiben Patel	2019-present	Former CM of Gujarat, first woman Governor of UP since Sarojini Naidu

Exam Tip: Sarojini Naidu as UP's first Governor is an extremely high-frequency exam question. She served from 15 August 1947 until her death on 2 March 1949.

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Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh

The Chief Minister is the real executive head of the state, appointed by the Governor. The CM must enjoy the confidence of the majority in the Vidhan Sabha.

This topic becomes easier if students remember the contrast clearly:

• Governor = constitutional head
• Chief Minister = real executive head
• Council of Ministers = runs day-to-day government in the Governor's name

Key Chief Ministers — Historical Table

#	Chief Minister	Party	Tenure	Key Facts
1	Govind Ballabh Pant	INC	1950-1954	First CM of UP; later Home Minister of India; Bharat Ratna (1957)
2	Sampurnanand	INC	1954-1960	Educationist, Sanskrit scholar
3	C.B. Gupta	INC	1960-1963	Two separate terms
4	Sucheta Kriplani	INC	1963-1967	First woman Chief Minister in India; freedom fighter
5	Chaudhary Charan Singh	BLD/Janata	1967-68, 1970	Later became Prime Minister of India (1979-80); Bharat Ratna (2024)
6	Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna	INC	1973-1975	Known for administrative reforms
7	N.D. Tiwari	INC	1976-77, 1984-85, 1988-89	Three-time CM
8	Veer Bahadur Singh	INC	1985-1988	Oversaw Ram Janmabhoomi dispute period
9	Mulayam Singh Yadav	SP	1989-91, 1993-95, 2003-07	Three-time CM; founded Samajwadi Party
10	Kalyan Singh	BJP	1991-92, 1997-99	CM during Babri Masjid demolition (1992)
11	Mayawati	BSP	1995, 1997, 2002-03, 2007-12	First Dalit woman CM in India; four-time CM
12	Ram Prakash Gupta	BJP	1999-2000	Brief tenure
13	Rajnath Singh	BJP	2000-2002	Later Union Home Minister
14	Akhilesh Yadav	SP	2012-2017	Youngest CM of UP (at age 38)
15	Yogi Adityanath	BJP	2017-present	Head Priest of Gorakhnath Math; re-elected 2022

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Records and Firsts

Record	Person
First CM of UP	GB Pant (1950)
First woman CM in India	Sucheta Kriplani (1963)
First Dalit woman CM	Mayawati (1995)
UP CM who became PM	Chaudhary Charan Singh
Most separate terms as CM	Mayawati (4 terms)
Youngest CM of UP	Akhilesh Yadav
First Governor of UP	Sarojini Naidu (1947)
First woman Governor in India	Sarojini Naidu

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President's Rule in UP

UP has been placed under President's Rule (Article 356) multiple times. A UP Vidhan Parishad page listing the state's President's Rule periods shows 10 instances. This is a common exam fact and reflects phases of political instability, especially in the coalition era.

Notable Instance	Year	Reason
Post Babri demolition	1992	Kalyan Singh government dismissed
Political instability	1995	Hung assembly
BSP-BJP split	1997	Government collapse

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Council of Ministers

The Council of Ministers in UP consists of:

• Cabinet Ministers — head major departments.
• Ministers of State (Independent Charge) — head smaller departments independently.
• Ministers of State — assist Cabinet Ministers.

The total number of ministers (including CM) cannot exceed 15% of the total strength of the Vidhan Sabha (i.e., ~60 ministers for UP's 403-member house), as per the 91st Constitutional Amendment (2003).

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Summary Cheat Sheet

Exam Fact	Answer
Current Governor of UP (as of June 3, 2026)	Anandiben Patel
Current CM of UP (as of June 3, 2026)	Yogi Adityanath
Governor appointed by	President of India
Governor's pardoning power	Article 161
First CM of UP	GB Pant
First woman CM (India)	Sucheta Kriplani (UP, 1963)
First woman Governor (India)	Sarojini Naidu (UP, 1947)
UP CM who became PM	Chaudhary Charan Singh
Most separate terms as UP CM	Mayawati (4)
Council of Ministers cap	15% of Sabha strength
President's Rule article	Article 356
Times President's Rule in UP	10 times