Following elections to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the state's governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government.

Four of these belonged to the Indian National Congress party, including inaugural office-holder Yashwant Singh Parmar.

After his first term ended in 1956, Himachal Pradesh was made a union territory, and the office of chief minister ceased to exist.

Between 1993 and 2017, the chief ministership has changed hands every five years between Virbhadra Singh of the Congress and Prem Kumar Dhumal of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

[3] The Indian National Congress won 24 seats to form a government under Yashwant Singh Parmar.