We give a criterion for the Chandrasekhar–Kendall–Woltjer–Taylor (CKWT) state in a resistive plasma. We find that the lowest momentum (longest wavelength) of the initial helicity amplitudes of magnetic fields are the key to the CKWT state, which can be reached if one helicity is favored over the other. This indicates that the imbalance between two helicities at the lowest momentum or longest wavelength in the initial conditions is essential to the CKWT state. A few examples of initial conditions for helicity amplitudes are taken to support the above statement both analytically and numerically.