Govind Ballabh Pant, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (died 1961)

Govind Ballabh Pant was an Indian independence activist and politician who was the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel, Pant was a key figure in the Indian independence movement and later a pivotal figure in the Indian government. He was one of the foremost political leaders of Uttar Pradesh and a key player in the successful movement to establish Hindi as the official language of Indian Union.

The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh is the head of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is the state's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the governor usually invites the party with a majority of seats to form the government. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose council of ministers are collectively responsible to the assembly. Given that he has the confidence of the assembly, the chief minister's term is for five years and is subject to no term limits.