List of chief ministers of Bihar

Leader of the Executive of the Government of Bihar

Chief Minister of Bihar

Emblem of Bihar

Incumbent
Nitish Kumar

since 22 February 2015

Government of Bihar
Style| The Honourable (Formal)
Mr./Mrs. Chief Minister (Informal)
Type| Head of Government
Status| Leader of the Executive
Abbreviation| CM
Member of|

* Cabinet
* Bihar Legislature

Reports to|

* Governor of Bihar
* Bihar Legislature

Residence| 1, Aney Marg, Patna
Seat| Patna Secretariat
Nominator| Members of the Government of Bihar in Bihar Legislative Assembly
Appointer| Governor of Bihar by convention based on appointees ability to command confidence in the Bihar Legislative Assembly
Term length| At the confidence of the assembly
Chief minister's term is for 5 years and is subject to no term limits.[1]
Precursor| Premier of Bihar
Inaugural holder| Shri Krishna Sinha
Formation| 26 January 1950 (74 years ago) (1950-01-26)
Deputy| Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar
Salary|

* ₹215,000 (US$2,500)/monthly
* ₹2,580,000 (US$30,000)/annually

Website| cm.bihar.gov.in

The chief minister of Bihar serves as the head of the Government of Bihar, overseeing its administration and governance within the constitutional framework of India.[2][3] While the Governor of Bihar holds the ceremonial role of the constitutional head, real executive authority rests with the chief minister, who is responsible for implementing policies and managing the state’s day-to-day affairs. Appointed by the Governor following elections to the Bihar Legislative Assembly, the chief minister is typically the leader of the majority party or coalition in the assembly. Upon taking office, they form a council of ministers, assigning portfolios to manage various government departments. This council operates collectively under the chief minister’s leadership and remains accountable to the legislative assembly. Responsibilities of the office include leading cabinet meetings, drafting and implementing state policies, and presenting the annual budget. In addition to maintaining law and order, the chief minister directs efforts toward economic development, public welfare, and infrastructure improvement. Coordination with the Government of India and advocacy for Bihar’s interests at the national level are also integral parts of the role.

Policy proposals and legislative initiatives are often introduced under the chief minister’s guidance, shaping the government’s agenda in the assembly. Administrative oversight is another key function, ensuring government departments and officials deliver public services efficiently and in line with policy objectives. The position carries a five-year term, concurrent with the tenure of the legislative assembly. However, tenure depends on retaining the confidence of the assembly, as the chief minister can be removed through a vote of no confidence. There are no term limits, allowing for multiple consecutive or non-consecutive terms. Since its establishment in 1946, the office has grown in influence, reflecting shifts in state politics and governance. The role has become central to Bihar’s administration, with successive holders contributing to the state’s legislative, economic, and social development efforts.[1]

From 1946, 23 people have been chief minister of Bihar. The current incumbent is Nitish Kumar who is having incumbency since 22 February 2015. The longest incumbent chief minister of Bihar held to Nitish Kumar.[4]

## Prime ministers from Bihar

[edit]

Before independence, Bihar was part of the larger Bihar and Orissa province, which was divided into two separate provinces on 1 April 1936. The Government of India Act 1935 introduced a bicameral legislature in Bihar, with a Legislative Assembly and a Legislatory Council, headed by the Premier. Shri Krishna Sinha became the first Premier in 1937, leading a government formed by the Indian National Congress. He continued as Bihar’s leader after independence, becoming the first chief minister in 1946. The role of premier was replaced by the chief minister after India's independence in 1947, with Bihar’s political leadership transitioning to a new democratic framework.[5][6]

No.[a] | Portrait  | Name  | Term of office  | Party

|
|
|
|

Took office  | Left office  | Tenure
1  |  | Mohammad Yunus | 1 April 1937  | 19 July 1937  | 109 days  | Muslim Independent Party
2  |  | Shri Krishna Sinha | 20 July 1937  | 31 October 1939  | 2 years, 103 days  | Indian National Congress
(2)  |  | Shri Krishna Sinha | 23 March 1946  | 14 August 1947  | 1 year, 144 days  | Indian National Congress

## Chief ministers of Bihar

[edit]

### Key

[edit]

Colour key for political parties

Indian National Congress

Janata Dal (United)

Rashtriya Janata Dal

Janata Dal

Samata Party

Socialist Party

Indian National Congress (O)

N/A (President's rule)

* No.: Incumbent number
* § Assassinated or died in office
* RES Resigned
* NC Resigned following a no-confidence motion

#  | Portrait  | Chief Minister
(Lifespan)
Constituency | Term of office  | Election
(Term) | Party  | Deputy Chief Minister(s)
(Term in office) | Government  | Appointed by
(Governor)

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  |  | Shri Krishna Sinha
(1887–1961)
Member, Interim Assembly (until 1952)
MLA for Basantpur (1952–1957)
MLA Sheikhpura (from 1957) | 15 August 1947  | 31 January
1961[†] | 13 years, 169 days | 1946
(Interim) | Indian National Congress | Anugrah Narayan Sinha
(26 Jan. 1950 – 5 Jul. 1957)
Position vacant
(5 Jul. 1957 – 31 Jan. 1961) | Shri Krishna I | Jairamdas Daulatram
1952
(1st) | Shri Krishna II | Madhav Shrihari Aney
1957
(3rd) | Shri Krishna III | R. R. Diwakar
2  |  |  | Deep Narayan Singh
(1894–1977)
MLA for Hajipur | 1 February
1961  | 18 February
1961  | 17 days | Position vacant
(31 Jan. 1961 – 5 Mar. 1967) | Deep Narayan | Zakir Husain
3  |  |  | Binodanand Jha
(1900–1971)
MLA for Rajmahal | 18 February
1961  | 2 October
1963  | 2 years, 226 days | Jha I
1962
(3rd) | Jha II
4  |  |  | Krishna Ballabh Sahay
(1898–1974)
MLA for Patna West | 2 October
1963  | 5 March
1967  | 3 years, 154 days | Sahay | M. A. Ayyangar
5  |  |  | Mahamaya Prasad Sinha
(1909–1987)
MLA for Patna West | 5 March
1967  | 28 January
1968  | 329 days | 1967
(4th) | Jana Kranti Dal  | Karpoori Thakur
(5 Mar. 1967 – 28 Jan. 1968) | Mahamaya
6  |  |  | Satish Prasad Singh
(1936–2020)
MLA for Parbatta | 28 January
1968  | 1 February
1968  | 4 days | Shoshit Dal  | Jagdeo Prasad
(28 Jan. 1968 – 1 Feb. 1968) | Satish Prasad | Nityanand Kanungo
7  |  |  | B. P. Mandal
(1918–1982)
MLC | 1 February
1968  | 22 March
1968  | 50 days | Position vacant
(1 Feb. 1968 – 29 Jun. 1968) | Mandal
8  |  |  | Bhola Paswan Shastri
(1914–1984)
MLA for Korha | 22 March
1968  | 29 June
1968  | 99 days | Indian National Congress | Shastri I
President's rule was imposed in during the period (29 June 1968 – 26 February 1969)
9  |  |  | Harihar Singh
(1925–1994)
MLA for Nayagram | 26 February
1969  | 22 June
1969  | 116 days | 1969
(5th) | Indian National Congress | Position vacant
(26 Feb. 1969 – 4 Jul. 1969) | Harihar | Nityanand Kanungo
(8)  |  |  | Bhola Paswan Shastri
(1914–1984)
MLA for Korha | 22 June
1969  | 4 July
1969  | 12 days | Indian National Congress (O) | Shastri II
President's rule was imposed in during the period (6 July 1969 – 16 February 1970)
10  |  |  | Daroga Prasad Rai
(1922–1981)
MLA for Parsa | 16 February
1970  | 22 December
1970  | 309 days | –
(5th)  | Indian National Congress (R) | Position vacant
(16 Feb. 1970 – 2 Jun. 1971) | Rai | Nityanand Kanungo
11  |  |  | Karpoori Thakur
(1924–1988)
MLA for Samastipur | 22 December
1970  | 2 June
1971  | 162 days | Socialist Party | Thakur I
(8)  |  |  | Bhola Paswan Shastri
(1914–1984)
MLA for Korha | 2 June
1971  | 9 January
1972  | 221 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Ram Jaipal Singh Yadav
(2 Jun. 1971 – 9 Jan. 1972) | Shastri III | D. K. Barooah
President's rule was imposed in during the period (9 January – 19 March 1972)
12  |  |  | Kedar Pandey
(1920–1982)
MLA for Nautan | 19 March
1972  | 2 July
1973  | 1 year, 105 days | 1972
(6th) | Indian National Congress (R) | Position vacant
(19 Mar. 1972 – 30 Apr. 1977) | Pandey | D. K. Barooah
13  |  |  | Abdul Ghafoor
(1918–2004)
MLC | 2 July
1973  | 11 April
1975  | 1 year, 283 days | Ghafoor | R. D. Bhandare
14  |  |  | Jagannath Mishra
(1937–2019)
MLA for Jhanjharpur | 11 April
1975  | 30 April
1977  | 2 years, 19 days | Mishra I
President's rule was imposed in during the period (30 April – 24 June 1977)
(11)  |  |  | Karpoori Thakur
(1924–1988)
MLA for Phulparas | 24 June
1977  | 21 April
1979  | 1 year, 301 days | 1977
(7th) | Janata Party | Position vacant
(24 Jun. 1977 – 17 Feb. 1980) | Thakur II | Jagannath Kaushal
15  |  |  | Ram Sundar Das
(1921–2015)
MLA for Sonpur | 21 April
1979  | 17 February
1980  | 302 days | Das
President's rule was imposed in during the period (14 February – 8 June 1980)
(14)  |  |  | Jagannath Mishra
(1937–2019)
MLA for Jhanjharpur | 8 June
1980  | 14 August
1983  | 3 years, 67 days | 1980
(8th) | Indian National Congress (I) | Position vacant
(8 Jun. 1980 – 28 Mar. 1995) | Mishra II | A. R. Kidwai
16  |  |  | Chandrashekhar Singh
(1927–1986)
MLC | 14 August
1983  | 12 March
1985  | 1 year, 210 days | Chandrashekhar
17  |  |  | Bindeshwari Dubey
(1921–1993)
MLA for Shahpur | 12 March
1985  | 13 February
1988  | 2 years, 338 days | 1985
(9th) | Dubey
18  |  |  | Bhagwat Jha Azad
(1922–2011)
MLC | 13 February
1988  | 10 March
1989  | 1 year, 25 days | Azad | P. Venkatasubbaiah
19  |  |  | Satyendra Narayan Sinha
(1917–2006)
MLC | 11 March
1989  | 6 December
1989  | 270 days | Satyendra | Jagannath Pahadia
(14)  |  |  | Jagannath Mishra
(1937–2019)
MLA for Jhanjharpur | 6 December
1989  | 10 March
1990  | 94 days | Mishra III
20  |  |  | Lalu Prasad Yadav
(born 1948)
MLC | 10 March
1990  | 28 March
1995  | 5 years, 18 days | 1990
(10th) | Janata Dal | Yadav I | Mohammad Yunus Saleem
President's rule was imposed in during the period (28 March – 4 April 1995)
(20)  |  |  | Lalu Prasad Yadav
(born 1948)
MLA for Raghopur | 4 April
1995  | 25 July
1997  | 2 years, 112 days | 1995
(11th) | Janata Dal | Position vacant
(4 Apr. 1995 – 11 Feb. 1999) | Yadav II | A. R. Kidwai
| Rashtriya Janata Dal
21  |  |  | Rabri Devi
(born 1955)
MLC | 25 July
1997  | 11 February
1999  | 1 year, 201 days | Rabri I
President's rule was imposed in during the period (11 February – 9 March 1999)
(21)  |  |  | Rabri Devi
(born 1955)
MLC | 9 March
1999  | 2 March
2000  | 359 days | –
(11th) | Rashtriya Janata Dal | Position vacant
(9 Mar. 1999 – 6 Mar. 2005) | Rabri II | Sunder Singh Bhandari
22  |  |  | Nitish Kumar
(born 1951)
MLC | 3 March
2000  | 10 March
2000  | 7 days | 2000
(12th) | Samata Party | Kumar I | V. C. Pande
(21)  |  |  | Rabri Devi
(born 1955)
MLC | 11 March
2000  | 6 March
2005  | 4 years, 360 days | Rashtriya Janata Dal | Rabri III
President's rule was imposed in during the period (7 March – 24 November 2005)

* * *

Elections were held to elect the 13th Assembly in February 2005, but no government was formed.
(22)  |  |  | Nitish Kumar
(born 1951)
MLC | 24 November
2005  | 20 May
2014  | 8 years, 177 days | Oct. 2005
(14th) | Janata Dal (United) | Sushil Kumar Modi
(24 Nov. 2005 – 16 Jun. 2013)
Position vacant
(16 Jun. 2013 – 20 May. 2014) | Kumar II | Buta Singh
2010
(15th) | Kumar III | Devanand Konwar
23  |  |  | Jitan Ram Manjhi
(born 1944)
MLA for Makdumpur | 20 May
2014  | 22 February
2015  | 278 days | Position vacant
(20 May. 2014 – 20 Nov. 2015) | Manjhi | D. Y. Patil
(22)  |  |  | Nitish Kumar
(born 1951)
MLC | 22 February
2015  | Incumbent  | 9 years, 327 days | Kumar IV | Keshari Nath Tripathi
2015
(16th) | Tejashwi Yadav
(24 Nov. 2015 – 26 Jul. 2017) | Kumar V | Ram Nath Kovind
Sushil Kumar Modi
(27 Jul. 2017 – 16 Nov. 2020) | Kumar VI | Keshari Nath Tripathi
2020
(17th) | Tarkishore Prasad and
Renu Devi
(16 Nov. 2020 – 9 Aug. 2022) | Kumar VII | Phagu Chauhan
Tejashwi Yadav
(10 Aug. 2022 – 28 Jan. 2024) | Kumar VIII
Vijay Kumar Sinha and
Samrat Choudhary
(since 28 Jan. 2024) | Kumar IX | Rajendra Arlekar

## Statistics

[edit]

Fraction of time of holding CMO by party (as of October 2024)

Indian National Congress (43.21%)

Janata Dal (United) (25.29%)

Rashtriya Janata Dal (10.14%)

Janata Dal (9.77%)

Janata Party (3.55%)

Others (4.37%)

President's Rule (3.67%)

No. | Name  | Party  | Length of term

|
|
|

Longest continuous term  | Total years of premiership
1  | Nitish Kumar |  | JD(U) | 9 years, 327 days  | 18 years, 90 days
2  | Shri Krishna Sinha |  | INC | 14 years, 314 days  | 17 years, 51 days
3  | Rabri Devi |  | RJD | 4 years, 360 days  | 7 year, 190 days
4  | Lalu Prasad Yadav |  | JD | 5 years, 18 days  | 7 years, 130 days
5  | Jagannath Mishra |  | INC | 3 years, 67 days  | 5 years, 180 days
6  | Krishna Ballabh Sahay |  | INC | 3 years, 154 days  | 3 years, 154 days
7  | Bindeshwari Dubey |  | INC | 2 years, 338 days  | 2 years, 338 days
8  | Binodanand Jha |  | INC | 2 years, 226 days  | 2 years, 226 days
9  | Karpoori Thakur |  | SP | 1 year, 301 days  | 2 years, 98 days
10  | Abdul Ghafoor |  | INC | 1 year, 283 days  | 1 year, 283 days
11  | Chandrashekhar Singh |  | INC | 1 year, 210 days  | 1 year, 210 days
12  | Kedar Pandey |  | INC | 1 year, 105 days  | 1 year, 105 days
13  | Bhagwat Jha Azad |  | INC | 1 year, 24 days  | 1 year, 24 days
14  | Mahamaya Prasad Sinha |  | JKD  | 329 days  | 329 days
15  | Daroga Prasad Rai |  | INC | 310 days  | 310 days
16  | Ram Sundar Das |  | JP | 302 days  | 302 days
17  | Jitan Ram Manjhi |  | JD(U) | 278 days  | 278 days
18  | Satyendra Narayan Sinha |  | INC | 270 days  | 270 days
19  | Harihar Singh |  | INC | 117 days  | 117 days
20  | Bhola Paswan Shastri |  | INC | 99 days  | 112 days
21  | Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal |  | SSP | 51 days  | 51 days
22  | Deep Narayan Singh |  | INC | 17 days  | 17 days
23  | Satish Prasad Singh |  | SSP | 5 days  | 5 days

## See also

[edit]

* Bihar
* List of governors of Bihar
* List of deputy chief ministers of Bihar

## References

[edit]

### Notes

[edit]

1. ^ A parenthetical number indicates that the incumbent has previously held office.

One of the achievements of the Bihar Government is that they have launched a Medhasoft Application for the students so that deserving students in the state get scholarships and the amount will be directly transferred to their account. However, in order to get this, school authorities have to upload all their student's details in the Medhasoft web portal.

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b Durga Das Basu. Introduction to the Constitution of India. 1960. 20th Edition, 2011 Reprint. pp. 241, 245. LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur. ISBN 978-81-8038-559-9. Note: although the text talks about Indian state governments in general, it applies for the specific case of Karnataka as well.
2. ^ "Chief Minister of Bihar". Bihar News Information Portal. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
3. ^ "Bihar Legislative Assembly". BIHAR VIDHAN SABHA. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
4. ^ "Nitish Kumar Takes Oath as Bihar Chief Minister for Record 9th Time". NDTV. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
5. ^ "How Bihar was carved out of the Bengal Presidency in 1912". www.indianexpress.com. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
6. ^ "Nitish Kumar's government in Bihar not outvoted as much as outmanoeuvred by Laloo Yadav".

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chief ministers of Bihar.

* v
* t
* e

Chief ministers of Bihar

1. Sri Krishna Sinha
2. Deep Narayan Singh
3. Binodanand Jha
4. Krishna Ballabh Sahay
5. Mahamaya Prasad Sinha
6. Satish Prasad Singh
7. B. P. Mandal
8. Bhola Paswan Shastri
9. Harihar Singh
10. Daroga Prasad Rai
11. Karpoori Thakur
12. Kedar Pandey
13. Abdul Ghafoor
14. Jagannath Mishra
15. Ram Sundar Das
16. Chandrashekhar Singh
17. Bindeshwari Dubey
18. Bhagwat Jha Azad
19. Satyendra Narayan Sinha
20. Lalu Prasad Yadav
21. Rabri Devi
22. Nitish Kumar
23. Jitan Ram Manjhi

* v
* t
* e

Government of Bihar

Constitution|

* Constitution
* Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties
* Federalism
* Divisions • Districts • subdivisions

Executive|

* Governor (list)
* Chief Minister (list)
* Deputy Chief Ministers (list)

Legislature|

* Assembly
* Speaker
* Deputy speaker
* Member
* Leader
* Leader of the Opposition
* Council
* Chairman
* Deputy chairman
* Member
* Leader
* Leader of the Opposition

Judiciary|

* Patna High Court
* Chief Justice of Bihar (list)
* Sitting judges
* District courts
* Sitting judges
* District courts

* v
* t
* e

Current chief ministers of India

| Andhra Pradesh|

Nara Chandrababu Naidu (TDP)

|

Arunachal Pradesh|

Pema Khandu (BJP)

Assam|

Himanta Biswa Sarma (BJP)

Bihar|

Nitish Kumar (JD(U))

Chhattisgarh|

Vishnu Deo Sai (BJP)

Goa|

Pramod Sawant (BJP)

Gujarat|

Bhupendrabhai Patel (BJP)

Haryana|

Nayab Singh Saini (BJP)

Himachal Pradesh|

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (INC)

Jammu and Kashmir|

Omar Abdullah (JKNC)

Jharkhand|

Hemant Soren (JMM)

| Karnataka|

Siddaramaiah (INC)

|

Kerala|

Pinarayi Vijayan (CPI(M))

Madhya Pradesh|

Mohan Yadav (BJP)

Maharashtra|

Devendra Fadnavis (BJP)

Manipur|

N. Biren Singh (BJP)

Meghalaya|

Conrad Sangma (NPP)

Mizoram|

Lalduhoma (ZPM)

Nagaland|

Neiphiu Rio (NDPP)

NCT of Delhi|

Atishi (AAP)

Odisha|

Mohan Charan Majhi (BJP)

Puducherry|

N. Rangasamy (AINRC)

| Punjab|

Bhagwant Mann (AAP)

|

Rajasthan|

Bhajan Lal Sharma (BJP)

Sikkim|

Prem Singh Tamang (SKM)

Tamil Nadu|

M. K. Stalin (DMK)

Telangana|

Revanth Reddy (INC)

Tripura|

Manik Saha (BJP)

Uttar Pradesh|

Yogi Adityanath (BJP)

Uttarakhand|

Pushkar Singh Dhami (BJP)

West Bengal|

Mamata Banerjee (AITC)

See also:

* Longest-serving chief ministers
* Female chief ministers
* From the Bharatiya Janata Party
* From the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
* From the Indian National Congress

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