Chief Minister of Bihar

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.

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 (75 years ago) (1950-01-26)
Deputy	Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar
Salary	₹215,000 (US$2,500)/monthly ₹2,580,000 (US$31,000)/annually
Website	cm.bihar.gov.in

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]

List

Prime ministers from Bihar

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

Key

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) MLA for Raghopur	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 Makhdumpur	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	10 years, 168 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

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

1. Indian National Congress (43.2%)
2. Janata Dal (United) (25.3%)
3. Rashtriya Janata Dal (10.1%)
4. Janata Dal (9.77%)
5. Janata Party (3.55%)
6. Others (4.37%)
7. President's Rule (3.67%)

No.	Name	Party		Length of term
				Longest continuous term	Total years of premiership
1	Nitish Kumar		JD(U)	10 years, 168 days	18 years, 351 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

• Bihar
• List of governors of Bihar
• List of deputy chief ministers of Bihar