Cabinet of Vishwamitra
The Cabinet of Vishwamitra, or the Union Council of Ministers is the executive branch of the Government of Vishwamitra and shares its functions and duties with the Rashtradhyaksh who is constitutionally the executive head of state. Led by the Prime Minister, the cabinet is a council of ministers who are accountable collectively to the Lok Sabha, the unicameral national legislature. Article 34 of the Constitution mentions that the Rashtradhyaksh shall appoint a Cabinet of Ministers to advise them in the exercise of their functions and that the Rashtradhyaksh shall appoint the Ministers from among the members of the Parliament at the advice of the prime minister. If a person appointed as a minister is not an elected member of the parliament, they shall get elected to the parliament within a period of six months.
Regulation
Pursuant to Article 34(3), the cabinet shall be a collectively responsible to the Rashtradhyaksh and the parliament. When a bill introduced by a minister in the parliament is not approved by it, the entire cabinet is responsible and not the minister. The council of ministers upon losing the confidence of the parliament shall resign to facilitate the formation of a new government.
According to the Article 34(6) of the Constitution of Vishwamitra, the cabinet shall be composed of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, Senior Minister, and Cabinet Ministers. The total number of members of the union cabinet shall not exceed for more than eight members including the prime minister.
The cabinet shall not include the ministers of state, who shall in turn become the members of the union council of ministers. The ministers of state shall assist cabinet ministers in the discharge of their duties and functions, and for such purpose shall have all the powers of ministers. The Rashtradhyaksh shall be entitled on the advice of the prime minister to appoint super-numbery ministers of state and they shall not be counted as members of the cabinet. Any minister who is not a member of either of the houses of the parliament for six consecutive months is automatically stripped off their ministerial post.
Ranking
There are six categories of the council of ministers as given below, in descending order of rank:
- Prime Minister: Leader and chairperson of the union council of ministers.
- Deputy Prime Minister: Presides as prime minister in their absence or as the senior most cabinet minister. However, there shall not be more than two deputy prime ministers at a time.
- Senior Minister: Position to which former prime ministers and former deputy prime ministers are only appointed to and rank above cabinet ministers. There shall not be more than one senior minister at a time.
- Cabinet Minister: A member of the cabinet; leads a specific ministry.
- Minister of State (Independent charge): Junior minister not reporting to a cabinet minister; leads a specific ministry.
- Minister of State: Deputy Minister reporting to a cabinet minister, usually tasked with a specific responsibility in that ministry.
Appointment
Pursuant to Article 34, a minister who serves at the pleasure of the Rashtradhyaksh, is appointed by the Rashtradhyaksh on the pleasure of the Prime Minister.
Removal
A person appointed as a member of the cabinet or union council of ministers cease to hold their ministerial position on the account of the following occasions:
- Upon their death.
- Upon self-resignation, or resignation or death of the Prime Minister.
- Upon dismissal by the Rashtradhyaksh for minister's unconstitutional acts.
- Upon direction from the judiciary for committing violation of law.
- Upon ceasing eligibility to be a member of parliament
- Upon the provision of "collective responsibility" under Article 34, the prime minister and the entire cabinet resign if a vote of no-confidence is passed in the parliament.
List of cabinets
27 cabinets have taken place in Vishwamitra since 2007 headed by eight prime ministers.
| Name of cabinet | Head of cabinet | Period of office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phatowali | Arnisha Phatowali | 15 April 2007 – 31 December 2009 | 2 years, 319 days |
| Varuna I | Varuna Sriraya | 1 January 2010 – 22 May 2012 | 2 years, 142 days |
| Varuna II | 22 May 2012 – 21 May 2014 | 1 year, 364 days | |
| Klarissa I | Klarissa Sriraya | 21 May 2014 – 22 February 2015 | 277 days |
| Tanishkaa I | Tanishkaa Patranabish | 22 February – 6 December 2015 | 287 days |
| Klarissa II | Klarissa Sriraya | 6 December 2015 – 11 April 2016 | 127 days |
| Varuna III | Varuna Sriraya | 11 April – 30 December 2016 | 263 days |
| Varuna IV | 30 December 2016 – 12 April 2017 | 103 days | |
| Klarissa III | Klarissa Sriraya | 12 April – 5 July 2017 | 84 days |
| Tanishkaa II | Tanishkaa Patranabish | 5 July – 25 December 2017 | 173 days |
| Varuna V | Varuna Sriraya | 25 December 2017 – 21 March 2018 | 86 days |
| Varuna VI | 21 March – 13 May 2018 | 53 days | |
| Tanishkaa III | Tanishkaa Patranabish | 13 May – 12 October 2018 | 152 days |
| Varuna VII | Varuna Sriraya | 12 October 2018 – 6 January 2019 | 86 days |
| Tanishkaa IV | Tanishkaa Patranabish | 7 January – 17 March 2019 | 69 days |
| Tanishkaa V | 17 March 2019 – 3 March 2020 | 352 days | |
| Anoushkaa I | Anoushkaa Patranabish | 3 March – 22 March 2020 | 19 days |
| Tanishkaa VI | Tanishkaa Patranabish | 22 March – 30 April 2020 | 39 days |
| Tanishkaa VII | 13 May – 7 June 2020 | 25 days | |
| Anoushkaa I | Anoushkaa Patranabish | 8 June 2020 – 28 January 2021 | 234 days |
| Snagoveanu I | Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu | 28 January – 1 March 2021 | 32 days |
| Snagoveanu II | 6 March – 9 September 2021 | 187 days | |
| Hazarika I | Farhaz Hazarika | 11 September – 21 October 2021 | 40 days |
| Pillin | Phillip Joseph Pillin | 21 October – 22 November 2021 | 32 days |
| Hazarika II | Farhaz Hazarika | 22 November 2021 – 12 May 2022 | 181 days |
| Hazarika III | 12 May 2022 – 11 November 2022 | 183 days | |
| Hazarika IV | 12 November 2022 – 9 October 2023 | 321 days | |
| Hazarika V | 9 October – 29 March 2024 | 172 days | |
| Klarissa IV | 29 March 2024 – Incumbent | 262 days |
