Who Are the Longest-Serving Chief Ministers Ever?

In a country where governments change faster than the weather, a few leaders have managed to sit on the Chief Minister’s chair for decades, like it was custom-made for them! Here’s the fascinating list of the Top 10 longest-serving Chief Ministers in Indian history (as per the latest available data).

The Unbreakable Top 10

1. Pawan Kumar Chamling – Sikkim
   Duration: 24 years, 165 days
   The undisputed king! From 1994 to 2019, Chamling ruled Sikkim for nearly a quarter of a century. Only Jyoti Basu comes close.
2. Jyoti Basu – West Bengal
   Duration: 23 years, 137 days
   The Marxist legend who turned “23 years” into a verb in Bengal politics. Still the benchmark for longevity.
3. Gegong Apang – Arunachal Pradesh
   Duration: 22 years, 250 days
   He ruled Arunachal across two different stints and even switched parties mid-way—talk about political flexibility!
4. Lal Thanhawla – Mizoram
   Duration: 22 years, 60 days
   Mizoram’s gentle giant, who came back to power multiple times because people just kept voting him in.
5. Virbhadra Singh – Himachal Pradesh
   Duration: 21 years, 13 days
   The “Raja” of Himachal served six terms. Royalty + democracy = Virbhadra Singh.
6. Manik Sarkar – Tripura
   Duration: 19 years, 363 days
   Known as India’s “poorest CM” (he donated his salary), yet one of the longest-serving. Integrity + longevity combo!
7. Nitish Kumar – Bihar
   Duration: 19 years, 111 days (and counting)
   The only one still in the chair from this list! The ultimate political survivor has changed alliances more times than some people change phones.
8. M. Karunanidhi – Tamil Nadu
   Duration: 18 years, 362 days
   The scriptwriter-turned-CM who wrote his own political screenplay for nearly seven decades (five terms as CM).
9. Parkash Singh Badal – Punjab
   Duration: 18 years, 350 days
   Punjab’s grand old man served five terms. Even at 90+, he was campaigning from a helicopter!
10. Naveen Patnaik – Odisha
    Duration: 24 years, 99 days (and still going!)Naveen Babu has comfortably overtaken everyone except Chamling and has remained the CM of Odisha for 24+ years.

Fun Takeaways

• North-East dominates the top 5 — small states, big tenures!
• Only one from the list is still in power today: Nitish Kumar
• Four legendary leaders from this list — Jyoti Basu, Virbhadra Singh, Karunanidhi, and Parkash Singh Badal — have passed away, but their records live on.