Quick answer
This list of every first in Uttarakhand polity starts with two names. Thus, Nityanand Swami was the first CM, and Surjit Singh Barnala the first Governor. Also, N. D. Tiwari was the first elected CM, and Yashpal Arya the first elected Speaker. Moreover, Justice S. H. A. Raza was the first Lokayukta. Finally, Uttarakhand was the first State to implement a UCC after Independence. All facts are as on 29 October 2026.
Key facts at a glance
- First CM: Nityanand Swami (interim); first elected CM N. D. Tiwari (2002)
- First Governor: Surjit Singh Barnala; first woman Governor Margaret Alva
- First Speaker: Prakash Pant (interim); first elected Speaker Yashpal Arya
- First woman Speaker: Ritu Khanduri Bhushan (2022)
- First Chief Justice: Ashok A. Desai; first woman CJ Ritu Bahri (2024)
- First Lokayukta: Justice S. H. A. Raza (2002–2008)
- First nominated MLA: Russell Valentine Gardner (2002)
- Statehood announced: PM H. D. Deve Gowda, Red Fort, 15 August 1996
First in Uttarakhand polity: the master table
First, the tables below group each first in Uttarakhand polity by branch. Also, the “Detail” column gives years and caveats that exams test.
Executive
| First | Name | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Governor | Surjit Singh Barnala | From 9 Nov 2000 |
| Woman Governor | Margaret Alva | 2009–2012 |
| Longest-serving Governor | Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmit Singh | 2021–2026; first to complete five years |
| CM (interim) | Nityanand Swami | From 9 Nov 2000 |
| Elected CM | N. D. Tiwari | 2002; only full five-year term |
| Longest-serving CM | Pushkar Singh Dhami | Since 4 Jul 2021 |
| Shortest CM | Tirath Singh Rawat | 116 days |
| Advocate General | L. P. Naithani (interim govt); M. S. Negi (first elected govt) | From 1 Dec 2000; from 6 Apr 2002 |
| Chief Secretary | Ajay Vikram Singh | 2000–01 |
| Woman Chief Secretary | Radha Raturi | 2024–25 |
| Woman DGP of India | Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya | Uttarakhand, 2004 |
For full tenures, also see the list of Governors of Uttarakhand. Similarly, the list of Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand gives every CM with party.
Legislature
| First | Name | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker (Interim Assembly) | Prakash Pant | Elected 12 Mar 2001 |
| Elected Speaker | Yashpal Arya | First Assembly, 2002–2007 |
| Woman Speaker | Ritu Khanduri Bhushan | From 26 Mar 2022 |
| Deputy Speaker | Vijaya Barthwal | 20 Dec 2008 – 27 Jun 2009 |
| Woman Leader of Opposition | Dr Indira Hridayesh | 2017–2021; died in office |
| Nominated Anglo-Indian MLA | Russell Valentine Gardner | 2002 |
| RS member elected by the Assembly | Harish Rawat (INC) | 2002 |
| Woman RS member elected by the Assembly | Manorama Dobriyal Sharma (INC) | 2014 |
| Woman MP from the region | Kamlendu Mati Shah | Tehri Garhwal, 1952 |
Moreover, the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha article covers all Speakers and pro-tem Speakers.
Judiciary
| First | Name | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice | Ashok A. Desai | 6 Dec 2000; acting from 9 Nov 2000 |
| Woman Chief Justice | Ritu Bahri | 2024 |
| Registrar | J. C. S. M. Rawat | — |
| Woman Registrar General | Kahksha Khan | — |
| CJ who later became CJI | S. H. Kapadia | 38th CJI; not the first Parsi CJI |
Besides, J. S. Khehar also served here and later became the 44th CJI, the first Sikh CJI.
Commissions and bodies
| First | Name | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| UKPSC Chairman | N. P. Nawani | 2001 |
| State Election Commissioner | Durgesh Joshi | From 2001 |
| State Finance Commission Chairman | R. K. Dhar | 2001–2006 |
| Chief Information Commissioner | Dr R. S. Tolia | 2005–2010 |
| Woman CIC | Radha Raturi | Oath 12 Apr 2025 |
| Human Rights Commission Chairperson | Justice Vijender Jain | 2013–2018 |
| Women’s Commission Chairperson | Dr Santosh Chauhan | — |
| Lokayukta | Justice S. H. A. Raza | 2002–2008 |
Thus, Radha Raturi holds two firsts: first woman Chief Secretary and first woman CIC.
State records
| First | Detail |
|---|---|
| Statehood announcement | PM H. D. Deve Gowda, Red Fort, 15 August 1996 |
| First Nagar Nigam | Dehradun (1998) |
| First Nagar Nigam in a wholly hill area | Srinagar (2021) |
| Sanskrit as second official language | Uttarakhand, first State (2010) |
| UCC implemented after Independence | Uttarakhand, first State (27 Jan 2025) |
| India’s “first village” | Mana, said by the PM on 21 Oct 2022 |
| India’s first writers’ village | Lekhak Gaon, Thano (25 Oct 2024) |
| First President’s Rule | 27 March 2016 |
Lokayukta and nominated MLA: two PYQ firsts
The first Lokayukta was Justice S. H. A. Raza, from 2002 to 2008. Later, Justice M. M. Ghildiyal served from 2008 to 2013. However, the post has stayed vacant since 2013.
Meanwhile, a search committee under Justice (Retd) Alok Verma came up in June 2026. On 12 October 2026, the High Court also asked for a progress report within two weeks. However, there is no appointment as on 29 October 2026.
Similarly, the Assembly had one nominated Anglo-Indian member from 2002 to 2020. Notably, Russell Valentine Gardner was the first, in 2002. However, the 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019 ended this seat from 25 January 2020.
Not Uttarakhand: the trap list
Also, students often link some firsts to Uttarakhand by mistake. Therefore, keep these apart.
- First mobile court in India: Punhana (Mewat, Haryana), 4 August 2007. It was not in Uttarakhand.
- First Parsi CJI: S. P. Bharucha (30th CJI). Thus, S. H. Kapadia was not the first Parsi CJI.
- Ravi Malimath: only Acting CJ here (2020–21), never Chief Justice of this court.
- Goa’s civil code: Goa has a common civil code inherited from Portuguese rule. Still, Uttarakhand was the first State to implement a UCC after Independence.
- State fruit, dance and festival: Kafal, Pandav Nritya and Harela are not official symbols. Also, no government declaration for them has been found.
Exam corner: common traps
- First CM vs first elected CM: Nityanand Swami (2000) versus N. D. Tiwari (2002).
- First Speaker: Prakash Pant led the Interim Assembly; Yashpal Arya was the first elected Speaker.
- First Advocate General: L. P. Naithani (interim govt); M. S. Negi for the first elected government.
- Women firsts: Margaret Alva (Governor), Ritu Khanduri Bhushan (Speaker), Ritu Bahri (CJ), Radha Raturi (CS and CIC).
- First Deputy Speaker: Vijaya Barthwal came only in 2008, in the Second Assembly.
What UKPSC has asked
- Who was the first Lokayukta of Uttarakhand? S. H. A. Raza (UKPSC High Court ARO Screening, 2026)
- Who was the first nominated member in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly? Russell Valentine Gardner (printed as ‘Russel Velentine Gardener’) (UKPSC Constable Exam, 2021)
- Which Prime Minister first made the declaration of Uttarakhand State? H. D. Deve Gowda (UKPSC AFO (Pre), 2012)
- Who was the first woman Director General of Police of Uttarakhand? Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya (UKPCS Lower (Pre), 2010)
- Who is the first woman Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court? Justice Ritu Bahri (UKPSC High Court ARO Screening, 2026)
- Who was the first woman elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttarakhand? Manorama Dobriyal Sharma (UKPSC Draftsman Exam, 2023)
Revise in one page
Executive: first Governor Surjit Singh Barnala; first woman Governor Margaret Alva. Also, first CM Nityanand Swami; first elected CM N. D. Tiwari. Similarly, first AG L. P. Naithani; first CS Ajay Vikram Singh. Legislature: first Speaker Prakash Pant (interim); first elected Speaker Yashpal Arya. Also, Ritu Khanduri Bhushan is the first woman Speaker, and Vijaya Barthwal the first Deputy Speaker. First nominated MLA: Russell Valentine Gardner (2002). Judiciary: first CJ Ashok A. Desai; first woman CJ Ritu Bahri. Bodies: N. P. Nawani (UKPSC), Durgesh Joshi (SEC), R. S. Tolia (CIC), S. H. A. Raza (Lokayukta). Records: statehood announced by Deve Gowda (15 August 1996); UCC from 27 January 2025. However, the first mobile court was in Haryana, not here.
In the news
- Dhal Singh Bisen sworn in as the 9th Governor — the newest name after the first Governor, Barnala.
- One year of the UCC: 5 lakh applications, zero privacy complaints — tracks the State’s best-known first.
Practise Uttarakhand Polity
- Daily 25 free practice questions — UKPSC previous-year questions, every morning.
- UKPSC previous year papers — bilingual PDFs of Upper PCS, Lower PCS, RO/ARO and more.
- UKPSC 2026 Prelims Test Series — full-length tests with detailed solutions.
Preparing for UKPSC Upper PCS, Lower PCS or RO/ARO? Join SAMVEG IAS, Dehradun. For batch details, call or WhatsApp +91 84759 04943.
Uttarakhand Polity Notes series
Frequently Asked Questions
Nityanand Swami of the BJP was the first Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, from 9 November 2000. N. D. Tiwari was the first elected CM, from 2002.
Surjit Singh Barnala was the first Governor of Uttarakhand, from 9 November 2000 to 7 January 2003. Margaret Alva was the first woman Governor.
Justice S. H. A. Raza was the first Lokayukta, from 2002 to 2008. Justice M. M. Ghildiyal followed him, and the post has been vacant since 2013.
Russell Valentine Gardner was the first nominated Anglo-Indian MLA, in 2002. The 104th Constitutional Amendment Act ended this seat from 25 January 2020.
Ritu Khanduri Bhushan Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha ki pehli mahila Speaker hain. Woh 26 March 2022 se Speaker hain.
Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda announced statehood from the Red Fort on 15 August 1996. The State finally came into being on 9 November 2000.
Facts as on 29 October 2026. Sources: Lok Bhavan (Raj Bhavan) Uttarakhand, High Court of Uttarakhand, Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha, Election Commission of India, State departments, India Code and PIB.