Chapter Overview

Part VI of the Constitution (Articles 152–237) sets up government in the states. This chapter covers its core: the state executive (Governor, Chief Minister, Council of Ministers, Advocate General; Arts 153–167) and the state legislature (Arts 168–212). For a Chhattisgarh aspirant it is the Polity chapter closest to home: the Raj Bhavan in Raipur, the 90-member Vidhan Sabha at Nava Raipur, and a Constitution that names Chhattisgarh in Art 164(1).

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Explain how a Governor is appointed and removed (Arts 153–159) and why B.P. Singhal (2010) limits removal “at pleasure”
Separate the Governor’s powers exercised on advice from his discretion (Art 163), and compare Art 161 with Art 72
Lay out the Governor’s options on a Bill (Art 200) and the 2025 Supreme Court rulings on timelines and “deemed assent”
Describe the Chief Minister’s role, the 15% cap (91st Amendment) and the tribal welfare minister proviso that names Chhattisgarh (94th Amendment)
State the Advocate General’s appointment, tenure and rights (Arts 165, 177, 194(4))
Describe the Assembly and Council, Art 169, the Council’s composition fractions, Bill procedure and the Speaker’s powers
Write Mains answers on the Governor’s role in federalism and on Legislative Councils, with a Chhattisgarh angle

Prerequisites

The Union Executive — the President, Prime Minister and Union Council of Ministers are the templates for this chapter
Parliament — the state legislature follows Parliament’s design with key differences

Learning Path

Follow the topics in this order:

graph TD
    A["1. Governor: Office
Arts 153–159, appointment,
pleasure, B.P. Singhal"] --> B["2. Governor: Powers
Art 163 discretion, Art 200 Bills,
Art 213 ordinance, Art 161, Fifth Schedule"]
    B --> C["3. CM, Council of Ministers,
Advocate General
Arts 164–167, 15% cap, Art 165"]
    C --> D["4. State Legislature
Assembly and Council,
Art 169, Speaker, Bills"]
    D --> E["5. Quick Revision
One-page sheet"]
    E --> F["Next chapter:
Centre–State Relations"]

Topics in This Chapter

#	Topic	What it covers
1	The Governor: Appointment, Tenure and Removal	Arts 153–162, qualifications, oath, pleasure doctrine, B.P. Singhal, Governor vs President, Sarkaria and Punchhi
2	Governor: Powers, Discretion and Assent to Bills	Executive, legislative, financial and judicial powers; Art 163 discretion; Art 200 and 201; 2025 rulings; Art 213 ordinances; Fifth Schedule duties in Chhattisgarh
3	Chief Minister, Council of Ministers and Advocate General	Arts 163–167, appointment and powers of the CM, 91st and 94th Amendments, collective responsibility, Chhattisgarh’s ministry size, Advocate General (Art 165)
4	State Legislature: Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad	Arts 168–212, Art 169, composition and duration, Speaker, Bill procedure, Council vs Rajya Sabha, Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha
—	Quick Revision	Every article, amendment, case and number on one page

Where It Is Asked

Paper	What to expect
Prelims P-I (Part 1, India GS)	Article numbers (155, 156, 161, 163, 164, 165, 169, 171, 200, 213), Art 161 vs Art 72, Council composition fractions, the six bicameral states, the 15% cap and its minimum of 12, tribal welfare minister states, Advocate General’s rights. Statement-based and match-the-following formats are common
Prelims P-I (Part 2, Chhattisgarh)	Overlaps with state facts: 90 seats, unicameral legislature, first and current Governor and CM, Speaker
Mains P-III (GS-I), Constitution and public administration	Short answers (Governor’s discretion, Advocate General, 91st Amendment, Council vs Rajya Sabha) and long answers (Governor as “agent of the Centre”, delays in assent to Bills, utility of Legislative Councils, role of the CM)

Exam focus

High-yield: Governor’s express discretion list; “re-passed Bill binds the Governor but not the President”; Council fractions 1/3, 1/12, 1/12, 1/3, 1/6; Art 169 is not an Art 368 amendment; Advocate General speaks but cannot vote.
Common mistakes: saying the Governor can pardon a death sentence; counting the 15% cap without the CM; listing Bihar (instead of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand) in the tribal welfare minister proviso.
Chhattisgarh angle for Mains: Fifth Schedule duties of the Governor; Art 164(1) tribal welfare minister; the 2025 ministry expansion to 14 and the 15% debate; a unicameral 90-member Assembly with 29 ST seats.

Quick Reference: The State Government at a Glance

Office / body	Article(s)	Key point	Chhattisgarh (as of 2026)
Governor	153–162	Appointed by the President; holds office at his pleasure; 35 years	Ramen Deka (since 31 July 2024); first: D.N. Sahay
Council of Ministers	163–164	Aids and advises the Governor; ≤ 15% of Assembly, ≥ 12	14 including the CM since 20 August 2025 (challenged in the High Court)
Chief Minister	164, 167	Appointed by the Governor; head of the Council	Vishnu Deo Sai (since 13 December 2023); first: Ajit Jogi
Advocate General	165, 177	Governor’s appointee; qualified as a High Court judge; no vote	Vivek Sharma (notified 21 November 2025)
Legislative Assembly	168–170	60–500 members; 5 years	90 seats (29 ST, 10 SC); unicameral
Legislative Council	169, 171	≤ 1/3 of Assembly, ≥ 40; permanent	None
Speaker	178–181	Elected by the Assembly; certifies Money Bills	Raman Singh (since December 2023)

Start Learning

Begin with the first topic:

→ The Governor: Appointment, Tenure and Removal