Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh: Complete GK Guide
Understanding the Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh is an essential part of Indian polity and state level general knowledge. Madhya Pradesh, formed in its present shape in 1956, has been governed by several influential Chief Ministers who shaped its political, economic, and social landscape. Alongside them, Governors have played a crucial constitutional role as representatives of the President of India. This post provides a complete and exam-oriented overview of the Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh, including chronological lists, key achievements, important facts, and a practice MCQ quiz.
Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh
First Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla became the first Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in 1956 after the reorganisation of states. He is remembered for laying the administrative foundation of the newly formed state and strengthening democratic governance in its early years. He was also the Chief Minister from 31 March 26 January 1950 to 31 October 1956, before the formation of the state.
Complete Chronological List of Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh
The following table presents a detailed and exam-oriented overview of the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, an essential component of understanding the Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh from a historical perspective.
| Name | Constituency | Tenure Start | Tenure End | Total Tenure | Party |
| Ravishankar Shukla | Saraipali | 1 November 1956 | 31 Dec 1956 | 2 months | Indian National Congress |
| Bhagwantrao Mandloi | Khandwa | 9 Jan 1957 | 31 Jan 1957 | 22 days | Indian National Congress |
| Kailash Nath Katju | Jaora | 31 Jan 1957 | 12 Mar 1962 | 5 years, 40 days | Indian National Congress |
| Bhagwantrao Mandloi | Khandwa | 12 Mar 1962 | 30 Sep 1963 | 1 year, 202 days | Indian National Congress |
| Dwarka Prasad Mishra | Katangi | 30 Sep 1963 | 30 Jul 1967 | 3 years, 303 days | Indian National Congress |
| Govind Narayan Singh | Rampur-Baghelan | 30 Jul 1967 | 13 Mar 1969 | 1 year, 226 days | Samyukta Vidhayak Dal |
| Nareshchandra Singh | Pussore | 13 Mar 1969 | 26 Mar 1969 | 13 days | Indian National Congress |
| Shyama Charan Shukla | Rajim | 26 Mar 1969 | 29 Jan 1972 | 2 years, 309 days | Indian National Congress |
| Prakash Chandra Sethi | Ujjain North | 29 Jan 1972 | 23 Dec 1975 | 3 years, 328 days | Indian National Congress |
| Shyama Charan Shukla | Rajim | 23 Dec 1975 | 30 Apr 1977 | 1 year, 128 days | Indian National Congress |
| President’s Rule | N/A | 30 Apr 1977 | 24 Jun 1977 | 55 days | N/A |
| Kailash Chandra Joshi | Bagli | 24 Jun 1977 | 18 Jan 1978 | 208 days | Janata Party |
| Virendra Sakhlecha | Jawad | 18 Jan 1978 | 20 Jan 1980 | 2 years, 2 days | Janata Party |
| Sunder Lal Patwa | Mandsaur | 20 Jan 1980 | 17 Feb 1980 | 28 days | Janata Party |
| President’s Rule | N/A | 17 Feb 1980 | 09 Jun 1980 | 113 days | N/A |
| Arjun Singh | Churhat | 09 Jun 1980 | 13 Mar 1985 | 4 years, 277 days | Indian National Congress |
| Motilal Vora | Durg | 13 Mar 1985 | 14 Feb 1988 | 2 years, 338 days | Indian National Congress |
| Arjun Singh | Kharsia | 14 Feb 1988 | 25 Jan 1989 | 346 days | Indian National Congress |
| Motilal Vora | Durg | 25 Jan 1989 | 09 Dec 1989 | 318 days | Indian National Congress |
| Shyama Charan Shukla | N/A | 09 Dec 1989 | 05 Mar 1990 | 86 days | Indian National Congress |
| Sunder Lal Patwa | Bhojpur | 05 Mar 1990 | 15 Dec 1992 | 2 years, 285 days | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| President’s Rule | N/A | 15 Dec 1992 | 07 Dec 1993 | 357 days | N/A |
| Digvijaya Singh | Chachoura / Raghogarh | 07 Dec 1993 | 08 Dec 2003 | 10 years, 1 day | Indian National Congress |
| Uma Bharti | Malhara | 08 Dec 2003 | 23 Aug 2004 | 259 days | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Babulal Gaur | Govindpura | 23 Aug 2004 | 29 Nov 2005 | 1 year, 98 days | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Shivraj Singh Chouhan | Budhni | 29 Nov 2005 | 17 Dec 2018 | 13 years, 19 days | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Kamal Nath | Chhindwara | 17 Dec 2018 | 23 Mar 2020 | 1 year, 97 days | Indian National Congress |
| Shivraj Singh Chouhan | Budhni | 23 Mar 2020 | 13 Dec 2023 | 3 years, 265 days | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Mohan Yadav | Ujjain South | 13 Dec 2023 | Incumbent | Ongoing | Bharatiya Janata Party |
Current Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
The current leadership represents the latest phase in the evolving framework of the Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh, reflecting contemporary governance priorities.
Dr. Mohan Yadav is the current Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, having assumed office in December 2023. He is from the Bharatiya Janata Party and his tenure focuses on governance, cultural identity, and economic growth.
Important Chief Ministers and Their Achievements
An analysis of key leaders is crucial to understanding the long-term impact of the Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh on policy, administration, and social reform.
- Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla
Played a key role in establishing the administrative structure of Madhya Pradesh after state reorganisation. - Arjun Singh
Known for education reforms and implementation of progressive policies during the 1980s. - Digvijaya Singh
Served one of the longest continuous tenures. Introduced decentralised governance and Panchayati Raj reforms. - Shivraj Singh Chouhan
One of the longest serving CMs of the state. Launched schemes like Ladli Laxmi Yojana, Kanyadan Yojana, and major rural development programmes.
Governors of Madhya Pradesh
Governors play a vital constitutional role within the broader structure of the Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh, acting as a link between the Union and the State.
| Name | Home State | Tenure Start | Tenure End | Total Tenure | Appointer (President) |
| Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya | Andhra Pradesh | 1 Nov 1956 | 13 Jun 1957 | 224 days | Rajendra Prasad |
| Hari Vinayak Pataskar | Bombay State | 14 Jun 1957 | 10 Feb 1965 | 7 years, 241 days | Rajendra Prasad |
| K. Chengalaraya Reddy | Mysore State | 11 Feb 1965 | 2 Feb 1966 | 356 days | S. Radhakrishnan |
| Justice P. V. Dixit (Acting) | Madhya Pradesh | 3 Feb 1966 | 9 Feb 1966 | 6 days | S. Radhakrishnan |
| K. Chengalaraya Reddy | Mysore State | 10 Feb 1966 | 7 Mar 1971 | 5 years, 25 days | S. Radhakrishnan |
| Satya Narayan Sinha | Bihar | 8 Mar 1971 | 13 Oct 1977 | 6 years, 219 days | V. V. Giri |
| N. N. Wanchoo | Madhya Pradesh | 14 Oct 1977 | 16 Aug 1978 | 306 days | N. Sanjiva Reddy |
| C. M. Poonacha | Karnataka | 17 Aug 1978 | 29 Apr 1980 | 1 year, 256 days | N. Sanjiva Reddy |
| Bhagwat Dayal Sharma | Haryana | 30 Apr 1980 | 25 May 1981 | 1 year, 25 days | N. Sanjiva Reddy |
| Justice G. P. Singh (Acting) | Madhya Pradesh | 26 May 1981 | 9 Jul 1981 | 44 days | N. Sanjiva Reddy |
| Bhagwat Dayal Sharma | Haryana | 10 Jul 1981 | 20 Sep 1983 | 2 years, 72 days | N. Sanjiva Reddy |
| Justice G. P. Singh (Acting) | Madhya Pradesh | 21 Sep 1983 | 7 Oct 1983 | 16 days | Zail Singh |
| Bhagwat Dayal Sharma | Haryana | 8 Oct 1983 | 14 May 1984 | 219 days | Zail Singh |
| K. M. Chandy | Kerala | 15 May 1984 | 30 Nov 1987 | 3 years, 199 days | Zail Singh |
| Justice N. D. Ojha (Acting) | Madhya Pradesh | 1 Dec 1987 | 29 Dec 1987 | 28 days | R. Venkataraman |
| K. M. Chandy | Kerala | 30 Dec 1987 | 30 Mar 1989 | 1 year, 90 days | R. Venkataraman |
| Sarla Grewal | Punjab | 31 Mar 1989 | 5 Feb 1990 | 311 days | R. Venkataraman |
| Kunwar Mahmud Ali Khan | Uttar Pradesh | 6 Feb 1990 | 23 Jun 1993 | 3 years, 137 days | R. Venkataraman |
| Mohammad Shafi Qureshi | Jammu & Kashmir | 24 Jun 1993 | 21 Apr 1998 | 4 years, 301 days | S. D. Sharma |
| Bhai Mahavir | Punjab | 22 Apr 1998 | 7 May 2003 | 5 years, 15 days | K. R. Narayanan |
| Ram Prakash Gupta | Uttar Pradesh | 7 May 2003 | 1 May 2004 | 360 days | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| Lt Gen K. M. Seth (Addl. Charge) | Uttar Pradesh | 2 May 2004 | 29 Jun 2004 | 58 days | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| Balram Jakhar | Punjab | 30 Jun 2004 | 30 Jun 2009 | 5 years, 0 days | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| Rameshwar Thakur | Jharkhand | 30 Jun 2009 | 8 Sep 2011 | 2 years, 70 days | Pratibha Patil |
| Ram Naresh Yadav | Uttar Pradesh | 8 Sep 2011 | 8 Sep 2016 | 5 years, 0 days | Pratibha Patil |
| Om Prakash Kohli (Addl. Charge) | Delhi | 8 Sep 2016 | 23 Jan 2018 | 1 year, 137 days | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Anandiben Patel | Gujarat | 23 Jan 2018 | 28 Jul 2019 | 1 year, 186 days | Ram Nath Kovind |
| Lalji Tandon | Uttar Pradesh | 29 Jul 2019 | 21 Jul 2020 | 358 days | Ram Nath Kovind |
| Anandiben Patel (Addl. Charge) | Gujarat | 1 Jul 2020 | 8 Jul 2021 | 1 year, 7 days | Ram Nath Kovind |
| Mangubhai C. Patel | Gujarat | 8 Jul 2021 | Incumbent | Ongoing | Ram Nath Kovind |
First Governor of Madhya Pradesh
The first Governor after reorganisation in 1956 was Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya, who played a stabilising constitutional role during the early years of the state.
Read more about Madhya Pradesh
- Rivers, Lakes and Dams of Madhya Pradesh: Complete Guide
- State Symbols of Madhya Pradesh: Complete GK Guide
- Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh: Complete GK Guide
- Districts of Madhya Pradesh Complete List with Headquarters | Full Districts of MP Guide
- 11 National Parks & 25 Wildlife Sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh [PDF]
MP CM List PDF | MP Governors List PDF
Download the list of Chief Ministers and Governors of India. Perfect study material for offline revisions.
Important Facts on Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh
The following key points summarise the most exam-relevant facts related to the Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh.
- Madhya Pradesh was formed on 1 November 1956.
- The Governor is appointed by the President of India.
- The Chief Minister is the real executive head of the state.
- Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the longest serving Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
- Governors act as a link between the Union and State governments.
GK Questions on Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh
The MCQ section below helps reinforce factual clarity on the Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh for competitive examinations.
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Who was the first Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh after its reorganisation?
Answer: Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla
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Madhya Pradesh was reorganised as a state in which year?
Answer: 1956
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Who is serving as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh at present?
Answer: Mohan Yadav
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Which Chief Minister had the longest continuous tenure in Madhya Pradesh?
Answer: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
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The Governor of Madhya Pradesh is appointed by whom?
Answer: President of India
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Who is the current Governor of Madhya Pradesh?
Answer: Mangubhai C. Patel
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The Ladli Laxmi Yojana was introduced during the tenure of which CM?
Answer: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
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Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla was associated with which political party?
Answer: Indian National Congress
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Who was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh between December 2018 and March 2020?
Answer: Kamal Nath
Conclusion
A clear understanding of the Chief Ministers and Governors of Madhya Pradesh is vital for exams, interviews, and polity based GK preparation. From the foundational leadership of Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla to the present administration, each leader has contributed to shaping the state’s governance. This guide serves as a reliable and structured reference for students, aspirants, and readers seeking accurate and updated information.