The Chief Minister of Bihar is the de facto head of the executive branch of the Government of Bihar, of the Indian state of Bihar. The chief minister of Bihar overseeing its administration and governance within the constitutional framework of India.
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 also serves as Leader of the House in the Legislative Assembly.
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.
From 1946, 23 people have been chief minister of Bihar. The current holder of the position is Samrat Chaudhary, who succeeded the longest-serving Nitish Kumar from 22 February 2015 to 14 April 2026. Kumar vacated the Chief Minister's Office due to his election as an MP in the upper chamber of the union Parliament, the Rajya Sabha.
Oath as the state chief minister The chief minister serves five years in the office. The following is the oath of the chief minister of state:
Premiers of Bihar Province (1937–1947) 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 Legislative 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.
Portrait NameTerm of officePartyTook officeLeft officeTenure 1 Mohammad Yunus 1 April 1937 19 July 1937 Muslim Independent Party 2 Shri Krishna Sinha 20 July 1937 31 October 1939Indian National Congress 23 March 1946 14 August 1947
Chief Ministers of Bihar (1947–present)
No.: Incumbent number Assassinated or died in office Resigned Resigned following a no-confidence motion
#PortraitChief MinisterTerm of officeElectionPartyDeputy Chief Minister(s)GovernmentAppointed by(Governor) 1 Shri Krishna Sinha 15 August 1947 31 January1961 1946 Indian National Congress Shri Krishna IJairamdas Daulatram1952 Shri Krishna IIMadhav Shrihari Aney 1957 Shri Krishna IIIR. R. Diwakar2 Deep Narayan Singh1 February196118 February1961 Deep Zakir Husain 3 Binodanand Jha 18 February1961 2 October1963 Jha I 1962 Jha II4Krishna Ballabh Sahay2 October19635 March1967 Sahay M. A. Ayyangar5Mahamaya Prasad Sinha5 March196728 January1968 1967Jana Kranti Dal Mahamaya6Satish Prasad Singh28 January19681 February1968 Shoshit Dal Satish Nityanand Kanungo7 B. P. Mandal1 February196822 March1968 Mandal8Bhola Paswan Shastri22 March196828 June1968Indian National Congress Shastri I 9Harihar Singh26 February196922 June1969 1969Indian National Congress Harihar Nityanand Kanungo(8)Bhola Paswan Shastri22 June19694 July1969Indian National Congress (O) Shastri II 10Daroga Prasad Rai16 February197022 December1970 (5th)Indian National Congress (R) Rai Nityanand Kanungo11Karpoori Thakur22 December19702 June1971Socialist Party Thakur I(8)Bhola Paswan Shastri2 June19719 January1972Indian National Congress (R) Shastri IIID. K. Barooah 12Kedar Pandey19 March19722 July1973 1972 Indian National Congress (R) PandeyD. K. Barooah13Abdul Ghafoor2 July197311 April1975 Ghafoor R. D. Bhandare14 Jagannath Mishra11 April197530 April1977 Mishra I (11)Karpoori Thakur24 June197721 April1979 1977 Janata Party Thakur II Jagannath Kaushal15Ram Sundar Das21 April197917 February1980 Das (14) Jagannath Mishra8 June198014 August1983 1980 Indian National Congress (I) Mishra II A. R. Kidwai16Chandrashekhar Singh14 August198312 March1985 Chandrashekhar17Bindeshwari Dubey12 March198513 February1988 1985 Dubey18Bhagwat Jha Azad13 February198810 March1989 AzadP. Venkatasubbaiah19Satyendra Narayan Sinha11 March19896 December1989 Satyendra Jagannath Pahadia(14) Jagannath Mishra6 December198910 March1990 Mishra III20Lalu Prasad Yadav10 March199028 March19951990Janata Dal Yadav IMohammad Yunus Saleem (20) Lalu Prasad Yadav 4 April1995 25 July1997 1995Janata Dal Yadav II A. R. Kidwai Rashtriya Janata Dal21Rabri Devi25 July199711 February1999 Rabri Devi I (21)Rabri Devi9 March19992 March2000Rashtriya Janata Dal Rabri Devi IISunder Singh Bhandari22Nitish Kumar3 March200011 March2000 2000Samata Party Nitish Kumar I V. C. Pande(21)Rabri Devi11 March20006 March2005Rashtriya Janata Dal Rabri Devi III (22) Nitish Kumar 24 November2005 20 May2014 Oct. 2005 Janata Dal (United) Nitish Kumar IIButa Singh 2010 Nitish Kumar IIIDevanand Konwar23Jitan Ram Manjhi20 May201422 February2015 ManjhiD. Y. Patil (22) Nitish Kumar 22 February2015 15 April2026 Nitish Kumar IVKeshari Nath Tripathi 2015 Nitish Kumar VRam Nath Kovind Nitish Kumar VIKeshari Nath Tripathi 2020 Nitish Kumar VII Phagu Chauhan Nitish Kumar VIII Nitish Kumar IXRajendra Vishwanath Arlekar2025 Nitish Kumar X Arif Mohammad KhanSyed Ata Hasnain24Samrat Choudhary15 April 2026Incumbent Bharatiya Janata PartyVijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav Choudhary
Statistics
# Name Party Length of term Longest tenure Total tenure 1 Nitish Kumar JD(U) / Samata Party 19 years, 237 days 2 Shri Krishna Sinha INC 17 years, 51 days 3 Rabri Devi RJD 7 year, 192 days 4 Lalu Prasad Yadav JD 7 years, 130 days 5 Jagannath Mishra INC 5 years, 180 days 6 Krishna Ballabh Sahay INC 7 Bindeshwari Dubey INC 8 Binodanand Jha INC 9 Karpoori Thakur JP / Socialist Party 2 years, 98 days 10 Abdul Ghafoor INC 11 Chandrashekhar Singh INC 12 Kedar Pandey INC 13 Bhagwat Jha Azad INC 14Bhola Paswan ShastriINC332 days 15 Mahamaya Prasad Sinha JKD 16 Daroga Prasad Rai INC 17 Ram Sundar Das JP 18 Jitan Ram Manjhi JD(U) 19 Satyendra Narayan Sinha INC 20Samrat ChoudharyBJP 21 Harihar Singh INC 22 B. P. Mandal Shoshit Dal 23 Deep Narayan Singh INC 24 Satish Prasad Singh Shoshit Dal
See also Bihar List of governors of Bihar List of deputy chief ministers of Bihar
References
Notes
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 Durga Das Basu. Introduction to the Constitution of India. 1960. 20th Edition, 2011 Reprint. pp. 241, 245. LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur. . Note: although the text talks about Indian state governments in general, it applies for the specific case of Karnataka as well.