Chief Ministers of Nagaland: Complete List, Tenure and Party
Neiphiu Rio has been Chief Minister of Nagaland since 8 March 2018 and is the state's longest-serving Chief Minister. Here is the complete list since statehood in 1963, with term dates, parties and every President's Rule spell.
Neiphiu Rio is the Chief Minister of Nagaland and has held the office continuously since 8 March 2018. He was sworn in for a fifth term on 7 March 2023, after the assembly election held that February, and he is by a wide margin the longest-serving Chief Minister in the state’s history — roughly nineteen years in office across three separate spells.
Eleven people have served as Chief Minister since Nagaland became a state on 1 December 1963, and between them they account for twenty separate terms. Nagaland also carries one of the higher counts of central administration among Indian states: President’s Rule has been imposed four times, and one of those spells lasted more than two and a half years.
How the Office Works in Nagaland
The rules are the standard ones. Article 164 of the Constitution of India provides that the Chief Minister is appointed by the Governor, that other ministers are appointed on the Chief Minister’s advice, and that the council of ministers is collectively responsible to the legislative assembly. The Governor invites the leader who can show a majority, and the government lasts only as long as that majority holds.
The Nagaland Legislative Assembly has 60 directly elected members, a strength fixed by Section 11 of the State of Nagaland Act, 1962. The majority mark is 31. Terms run five years, and there is no cap on how many times a person may be Chief Minister — S. C. Jamir and Neiphiu Rio have both used that freedom heavily.
Nagaland’s statehood is itself worth noting. The state was created by the State of Nagaland Act, 1962 and formally inaugurated on 1 December 1963, carved out of what had been the Naga Hills district of Assam and the Tuensang area. Article 371A, inserted by the Thirteenth Amendment, gives the state special provisions covering Naga customary law and practice, ownership of land and resources, and administration of civil and criminal justice. The Chief Minister’s list therefore starts on 1 December 1963, with the first ministry sworn in on that day.
Complete List of Chief Ministers of Nagaland
| # | Name | Term Start | Term End | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P. Shilu Ao | 1 December 1963 | 14 August 1966 | Nagaland Nationalist Organisation | First Chief Minister of Nagaland |
| 2 | Thepfülo-u Nakhro | 14 August 1966 | 22 February 1969 | Nagaland Nationalist Organisation | Also written as T. N. Angami in older records |
| 3 | Hokishe Sema | 22 February 1969 | 26 February 1974 | Nagaland Nationalist Organisation | Completed a full five-year term |
| 4 | Vizol Angami | 26 February 1974 | 10 March 1975 | United Democratic Front | First non-NNO government |
| 5 | John Bosco Jasokie | 10 March 1975 | 20 March 1975 | Naga National Democratic Party | Shortest tenure in the state’s history — 10 days |
| — | President’s Rule | 20 March 1975 | 25 November 1977 | — | Longest spell — 2 years, 250 days |
| (4) | Vizol Angami | 25 November 1977 | 18 April 1980 | United Democratic Front | Second term |
| 6 | S. C. Jamir | 18 April 1980 | 5 June 1980 | United Democratic Front-Progressive | First term; 48 days |
| (5) | John Bosco Jasokie | 5 June 1980 | 18 November 1982 | Naga National Democratic Party | Second term |
| (6) | S. C. Jamir | 18 November 1982 | 28 October 1986 | United Democratic Front-Progressive | Second term |
| (3) | Hokishe Sema | 28 October 1986 | 7 August 1988 | Indian National Congress | Second term, under a new party label |
| — | President’s Rule | 7 August 1988 | 25 January 1989 | — | 171 days |
| (6) | S. C. Jamir | 25 January 1989 | 10 May 1990 | Indian National Congress | Third term |
| 7 | K. L. Chishi | 16 May 1990 | 19 June 1990 | Indian National Congress | 34 days; sworn in six days after his predecessor resigned |
| 8 | Vamüzo Phesao | 19 June 1990 | 2 April 1992 | Nagaland People’s Council | — |
| — | President’s Rule | 2 April 1992 | 22 February 1993 | — | 326 days |
| (6) | S. C. Jamir | 22 February 1993 | 6 March 2003 | Indian National Congress | Fourth term; longest unbroken tenure in Nagaland’s history — 10 years, 12 days |
| 9 | Neiphiu Rio | 6 March 2003 | 3 January 2008 | Naga People’s Front | First term |
| — | President’s Rule | 3 January 2008 | 12 March 2008 | — | 69 days, ahead of the 2008 election |
| (9) | Neiphiu Rio | 12 March 2008 | 24 May 2014 | Naga People’s Front | Second term; resigned to enter national politics |
| 10 | T. R. Zeliang | 24 May 2014 | 22 February 2017 | Naga People’s Front | First term |
| 11 | Shürhozelie Liezietsu | 22 February 2017 | 19 July 2017 | Naga People’s Front | 147 days |
| (10) | T. R. Zeliang | 19 July 2017 | 8 March 2018 | Naga People’s Front | Second term |
| (9) | Neiphiu Rio | 8 March 2018 | Incumbent | NDPP, now Naga People’s Front | Sworn in for a fifth term on 7 March 2023; his party merged into the NPF in 2026 |
Read the dates together and the shape is clear. Nagaland’s first three decades were volatile — eleven changes of Chief Minister and three President’s Rule spells between 1974 and 1993 alone. From 1993 the state settled into long tenures, with S. C. Jamir’s decade followed by Neiphiu Rio’s three spells. The most recent assemblies have gone further: after the 2023 election, effectively every elected member ended up supporting the government, leaving the house without a formal opposition.
Longest-Serving and Most Notable Chief Ministers
Longest total service: Neiphiu Rio, with about nineteen years and five months across three spells — March 2003 to January 2008, March 2008 to May 2014, and March 2018 onward. Nobody else in Nagaland is close.
Longest single unbroken tenure: S. C. Jamir, 10 years and 12 days from 22 February 1993 to 6 March 2003, covering two full assemblies. Rio’s current run, which began in March 2018, is the second longest unbroken stretch and has not yet passed it.
Most terms: S. C. Jamir, four separate stints (1980, 1982-86, 1989-90 and 1993-2003), totalling 15 years and 144 days. Rio has served three stints but five ministries, because he was re-sworn after the 2013 and 2023 elections without a break in office.
Firsts: P. Shilu Ao was the first Chief Minister, sworn in on the day of statehood. Vizol Angami led the first government not formed by the Nagaland Nationalist Organisation. Nagaland has never had a woman Chief Minister.
Three tenures matter beyond their length. Hokishe Sema’s first term from 1969 to 1974 was the first to run a full five years and gave the young state its first stretch of administrative continuity. S. C. Jamir’s decade from 1993 coincided with the ceasefire process of the late 1990s and the start of formal talks. Neiphiu Rio’s tenures reshaped the party system: he left the Congress in 2002 to head the Naga People’s Front, founded the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party in 2017 to fight the 2018 election with the Bharatiya Janata Party, and then returned to the NPF when the two regional parties merged. The Election Commission of India recognised that merger on 4 May 2026, with the NDPP ceasing to exist as a separate party and the NPF continuing as the unified entity under Rio as president.
How Power Has Shifted: Party Trends in Nagaland
Nagaland has never been a two-party state in the way most of India is. The Nagaland Nationalist Organisation held the first three Chief Ministers; a shifting set of regional fronts took over in the 1970s; the Congress governed from 1986 to 2003 with breaks; and since 2003 the field has belonged to regional parties, latterly in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
| Party | Chief Ministers | Approximate time in office |
|---|---|---|
| Naga People’s Front / NDPP | 3 (Rio, Zeliang, Liezietsu) | About 22 years and continuing |
| Indian National Congress | 3 (Sema, Jamir, Chishi) | About 13 years |
| Nagaland Nationalist Organisation | 3 (Shilu Ao, Nakhro, Sema) | 10 years, 87 days |
| United Democratic Front and UDF-Progressive | 2 (Vizol Angami, Jamir) | About 7 years |
| Naga National Democratic Party | 1 (Jasokie) | 2 years, 176 days |
| Nagaland People’s Council | 1 (Vamüzo Phesao) | 1 year, 288 days |
The 2026 merger of the NDPP into the Naga People’s Front consolidated that regional space further. It also produced an unusual situation in the assembly: the NPF legislature party now accounts for the large majority of the 60-member house, and Nagaland continues to function without a recognised leader of the opposition — a pattern that began in 2021, when the opposition Naga People’s Front joined the government to back the Naga peace talks.
Records and Quick Facts
- Current Chief Minister: Neiphiu Rio, in office since 8 March 2018; fifth term from 7 March 2023.
- First Chief Minister: P. Shilu Ao, from 1 December 1963.
- Statehood: 1 December 1963, under the State of Nagaland Act, 1962.
- Individuals versus terms: 11 people, 20 separate terms.
- Shortest tenure: John Bosco Jasokie, 10 days in March 1975.
- Second shortest: K. L. Chishi, 34 days in 1990.
- Most terms: S. C. Jamir, four.
- Longest unbroken tenure: S. C. Jamir, 10 years and 12 days, 1993 to 2003.
- President’s Rule spells: four — 1975-77 (2 years 250 days), 1988-89, 1992-93 and 2008. Together they account for a little over four years.
- Woman Chief Minister: none so far.
- Assembly strength: 60 seats; majority mark 31; special provisions under Article 371A.
FAQ
Who is the current Chief Minister of Nagaland? Neiphiu Rio. He has been in office continuously since 8 March 2018 and took oath for a fifth term on 7 March 2023 after the assembly election held that February. He was elected on a Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party ticket and now leads the Naga People’s Front, into which the NDPP merged in 2026.
Who was the first Chief Minister of Nagaland? P. Shilu Ao of the Nagaland Nationalist Organisation, sworn in on 1 December 1963, the day the state was formally inaugurated. He held office until 14 August 1966.
How many Chief Ministers has Nagaland had? Eleven individuals, across twenty separate terms. The difference comes from repeat officeholders — S. C. Jamir served four times, Neiphiu Rio three times, and Vizol Angami, John Bosco Jasokie, Hokishe Sema and T. R. Zeliang twice each.
Who is the longest-serving Chief Minister of Nagaland? Neiphiu Rio, with about nineteen years in total across three spells. The longest single unbroken tenure belongs to S. C. Jamir, who served 10 years and 12 days from February 1993 to March 2003.
How many times has President’s Rule been imposed in Nagaland? Four times — from March 1975 to November 1977, from August 1988 to January 1989, from April 1992 to February 1993, and from January to March 2008. The first of those is the longest, at 2 years and 250 days.
Practice Questions
Practice MCQs
- Nagaland became a full-fledged state of the Indian Union on: (a) 1 December 1963 (b) 21 January 1972 (c) 20 February 1987 (d) 16 May 1975 — Answer: (a) The state was created by the State of Nagaland Act, 1962 and formally inaugurated on 1 December 1963.
- Who was the first Chief Minister of Nagaland? (a) Hokishe Sema (b) S. C. Jamir (c) P. Shilu Ao (d) Vizol Angami — Answer: (c) P. Shilu Ao of the Nagaland Nationalist Organisation took office on the day of statehood and served until August 1966.
- Which article of the Constitution contains special provisions with respect to Nagaland? (a) Article 370 (b) Article 371A (c) Article 371G (d) Article 244A — Answer: (b) Article 371A, inserted by the Thirteenth Amendment, covers Naga customary law and practice, land and resources, and administration of justice.
- Who holds the record for the longest unbroken tenure as Chief Minister of Nagaland? (a) Neiphiu Rio (b) S. C. Jamir (c) T. R. Zeliang (d) Hokishe Sema — Answer: (b) S. C. Jamir served 10 years and 12 days in a single stretch from 22 February 1993 to 6 March 2003.
- How many times has President’s Rule been imposed in Nagaland? (a) Twice (b) Three times (c) Four times (d) Seven times — Answer: (c) The four spells fell in 1975-77, 1988-89, 1992-93 and 2008.