------WebKitFormBoundaryAdXP3tWyikE6kZfx Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="bihar.html" Content-Type: text/html ------WebKitFormBoundaryNbpSAsg2gNVnNCAl Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="bihar.html" Content-Type: text/html ------WebKitFormBoundaryKpCsUkPhr2XYAE6i Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="bihar.html" Content-Type: text/html ------WebKitFormBoundaryWQauIepN6De7EQhs Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="bihar.html" Content-Type: text/html Bihar Since 1947 | India 1947 – Till Today
State dossier 05 · Bihar

Bihar since Independence.

A boundary-aware public record of constitutional government, elections, people, economy, heritage, nature, civic movements and accountability.

Comparison rule: figures before 15 November 2000 describe undivided Bihar, including the territory that became Jharkhand. Population, economy, elections and development data must retain the geography applicable to their year.
243Assembly constituencies
40Lok Sabha constituencies
104,099,452Census 2011 population
2UNESCO World Heritage properties
Territorial record

Pre-2000 and present-day Bihar are different statistical geographies.

1947Province of Bihar at Independence
1950–1956Constitutional State; boundary adjustments under reorganisation
15 NOV 2000Jharkhand created under the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000

Bihar Reorganisation Act · Lok Bhavan history.

Chief Ministers and constitutional administration

Chief Minister / administrationExact periodParty / status
Shri Krishna Singh2 Jan 1946–31 Jan 1961INC
Deep Narayan Singh1–18 Feb 1961INC; acting
Binodanand Jha18 Feb 1961–2 Oct 1963INC
Krishna Ballabh Sahay2 Oct 1963–5 Mar 1967INC
Mahamaya Prasad Sinha5 Mar 1967–28 Jan 1968Samyukta Vidhayak Dal coalition
Satish Prasad Singh28 Jan–1 Feb 1968Acting coalition ministry
B. P. Mandal1 Feb–22 Mar 1968Coalition ministry
Bhola Paswan Shastri22 Mar–29 Jun 1968First ministry
President’s Rule29 Jun 1968–26 Feb 1969Article 356
Harihar Singh26 Feb–22 Jun 1969INC
Bhola Paswan Shastri22 Jun–4 Jul 1969Second ministry
President’s Rule4 Jul 1969–16 Feb 1970Article 356
Daroga Prasad Rai16 Feb–22 Dec 1970INC
Karpoori Thakur22 Dec 1970–2 Jun 1971Socialist-led coalition
Bhola Paswan Shastri2 Jun 1971–9 Jan 1972Third ministry
President’s Rule9 Jan–19 Mar 1972Article 356
Kedar Pandey19 Mar 1972–2 Jul 1973INC
Abdul Ghafoor2 Jul 1973–11 Apr 1975INC
Jagannath Mishra11 Apr 1975–30 Apr 1977INC; first ministry
President’s Rule30 Apr–24 Jun 1977Article 356
Karpoori Thakur24 Jun 1977–21 Apr 1979Janata Party
Ram Sundar Das21 Apr 1979–17 Feb 1980Janata Party
President’s Rule17 Feb–8 Jun 1980Article 356
Jagannath Mishra8 Jun 1980–14 Aug 1983INC; second ministry
Chandrashekhar Singh14 Aug 1983–12 Mar 1985INC
Bindeshwari Dubey12 Mar 1985–13 Feb 1988INC
Bhagwat Jha Azad14 Feb 1988–10 Mar 1989INC
Satyendra Narayan Sinha11 Mar–6 Dec 1989INC
Jagannath Mishra6 Dec 1989–10 Mar 1990INC; third ministry
Lalu Prasad10 Mar 1990–25 Jul 1997Janata Dal; RJD transition in 1997
Rabri Devi25 Jul 1997–11 Feb 1999RJD; first ministry
President’s Rule12 Feb–8 Mar 1999Article 356
Rabri Devi9 Mar 1999–2 Mar 2000RJD; second ministry
Nitish Kumar3–10 Mar 2000Samata Party-led NDA
Rabri Devi11 Mar 2000–6 Mar 2005RJD; third ministry
President’s Rule7 Mar–24 Nov 2005Article 356
Nitish Kumar24 Nov 2005–20 May 2014JD(U)-led successive ministries
Jitan Ram Manjhi20 May 2014–22 Feb 2015JD(U)
Nitish Kumar22 Feb 2015–14 Apr 2026JD(U); successive ministries and alliance changes
Samrat Choudhary15 Apr 2026–presentBJP-led NDA

CM Secretariat chronology and current office · Bihar Vidhan Sabha.

Governors since Independence

GovernorOfficial tenure
Jairamdas Daulatram15 Aug 1947–11 Jan 1948
Madhav Shrihari Aney12 Jan 1948–14 Jun 1952
R. R. Diwakar15 Jun 1952–5 Jul 1957
Zakir Husain6 Jul 1957–11 May 1962
M. A. Ayyangar12 May 1962–6 Dec 1967
Nityanand Kanungo7 Dec 1967–20 Jan 1971
Justice U. N. Sinha21–31 Jan 1971 · officiating
Devkant Baruah1 Feb 1971–4 Feb 1973
R. D. Bhandare4 Feb 1973–15 Jun 1976
Jagan Nath Kaushal16 Jun 1976–31 Jan 1979
Justice K. B. N. Singh31 Jan–19 Sep 1979 · officiating
A. R. Kidwai20 Sep 1979–15 Mar 1985
P. Venkatasubbaiah15 Mar 1985–25 Feb 1988
Govind Narain Singh26 Feb 1988–24 Jan 1989
Justice Dipak Kumar Sen24–28 Jan 1989 · officiating
R. D. Pradhan29 Jan–2 Mar 1989 · officiating
Jagannath Pahadia3 Mar 1989–2 Feb 1990
Justice G. G. Sohoni2–16 Feb 1990 · officiating
Mohammad Yunus Saleem16 Feb 1990–13 Feb 1991
B. Satyanarayan Reddy14 Feb–18 Mar 1991 · officiating
Mohammad Shafi Qureshi19 Mar 1991–13 Aug 1993
A. R. Kidwai14 Aug 1993–26 Apr 1998
Sunder Singh Bhandari27 Apr 1998–15 Mar 1999
Justice B. M. Lal15 Mar–5 Oct 1999 · officiating
Suraj Bhan6 Oct–22 Nov 1999 · officiating
Vinod Chandra Pande23 Nov 1999–12 Jun 2003
Justice M. Rama Jois12 Jun 2003–31 Oct 2004
Ved Prakash Marwah1–4 Nov 2004 · officiating
Buta Singh5 Nov 2004–30 Jan 2006
Gopalkrishna Gandhi31 Jan–21 Jun 2006 · officiating
R. S. Gavai22 Jun 2006–10 Jul 2008
R. L. Bhatia10 Jul 2008–28 Jun 2009
Devanand Konwar29 Jun 2009–21 Mar 2013
D. Y. Patil22 Mar 2013–26 Nov 2014
Keshari Nath Tripathi27 Nov 2014–15 Aug 2015 · additional charge
Ram Nath Kovind16 Aug 2015–21 Jun 2017
Keshari Nath Tripathi22 Jun–3 Oct 2017 · additional charge
Satya Pal Malik4 Oct 2017–22 Aug 2018
Lalji Tandon23 Aug 2018–28 Jul 2019
Phagu Chauhan29 Jul 2019–16 Feb 2023
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar17 Feb 2023–1 Jan 2025
Arif Mohammed Khan2 Jan 2025–13 Mar 2026
Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.)14 Mar 2026–present

Lok Bhavan complete archive · current Governor. Officiating and additional-charge periods remain visible.

Cabinets and portfolios

Current ministry · April–May 2026

Samrat Choudhary took the Chief Minister’s oath on 15 April 2026. Bihar Lok Bhavan records a further ministerial oath ceremony on 7 May 2026. The live Government directory and dated allocation notifications control the current portfolio roster.

Historical roster rule

Every oath after an election or alliance change is treated as a distinct ministry. Names and portfolios are never projected backward without a dated Gazette, Cabinet Secretariat or Assembly record.

Lok Bhavan oath record · Government departments and ministers · Bihar e-Gazette.

Assembly elections, representation and parties

Election(s)Government-forming mandateContext
1951, 1957, 1962INCCongress-majority era in undivided Bihar.
1967, 1969Fragmented mandatesCoalition ministries and President’s Rule.
1972INCCongress returned.
1977Janata PartyPost-Emergency change.
1980, 1985INCCongress governments.
1990, 1995Janata DalLalu Prasad ministries; RJD formed in 1997.
2000Hung Assembly; RJD government followedLast election before Jharkhand’s separation.
Feb 2005No government formedPresident’s Rule and dissolution.
Oct–Nov 2005, 2010JD(U)-BJP allianceNDA ministries.
2015MahagathbandhanCoalition changed in 2017.
2020, 2025NDAFinal constituency votes are controlled by ECI Form 20.

Bihar has 243 Assembly and 40 Lok Sabha constituencies. ECI publishes State election reports from 1951 through 2025; CEO Bihar’s Form 20 collection is the final constituency-level record for 2025. Party recognition and symbols are controlled by ECI.

ECI statistical reports · 2025 Form 20 archive · ECI party register.

People, economy and development

MeasureVerified figureStatus
Population104,099,452Census 2011; present-day boundary
Literacy rate61.80%Census 2011
GSDP, 2024–25₹9,91,997 croreCurrent prices; Bihar DES figure used in Finance Accounts
Revenue balance, 2024–25₹358 crore deficitCAG actual
Fiscal deficit, 2024–25₹41,224 crore; about 4% of GSDPCAG actual
Capital expenditure, 2024–25₹40,981 croreCAG actual
GSDP, 2026–27₹13,09,155 croreBudget estimate; current prices
The Jharkhand boundary break, price basis and actual/revised/budget status stay attached to every series. Economic outcomes are not assigned personally to a Chief Minister merely because dates overlap.

Census India · Bihar Finance Department and Economic Survey · CAG Accounts 2024–25.

Heritage, culture and protected nature

Mahabodhi Temple Complex

UNESCO cultural World Heritage property at Bodh Gaya, inscribed in 2002.

Nalanda Mahavihara

UNESCO cultural property inscribed in 2016: a 23-hectare archaeological site protected and managed by ASI.

Valmiki Tiger Reserve

Bihar’s sole tiger reserve, in the Himalayan foothills of West Champaran. Sensitive wildlife locations are not reproduced.

Kabartal Wetland

Ramsar Site 2436 in Begusarai, designated 21 July 2020, covering 2,620 hectares. Legal designations are not interchangeable.

Mahabodhi · Nalanda · NTCA Valmiki profile · Ramsar Kabartal record.

Civic movements and political change

RecordDemand / actorsOutcome and impact
Bihar Movement / “Total Revolution”, 1974–1975Student organisations and Jayaprakash Narayan mobilised around corruption, prices, unemployment and institutional change.A major national opposition mobilisation before the Emergency; later leaders and parties emerged from its networks.
Jharkhand movementLong-running organisations sought a separate State for southern regions of undivided Bihar.Parliament enacted the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000; Jharkhand was created on 15 November 2000.
Social-justice mobilisationBackward-class representation and implementation debates intensified from the late 1970s and 1990s.Reshaped party competition and policy; claims about individual causation require documentary evidence.

Bihar Reorganisation Act · national movements collection.

Audits and public accountability

RecordLabelScope
CAG State Finances 2024–25, Report 2 of 2026Financial auditRevenue, expenditure, fiscal balance, debt and budget management; tabled 23 July 2026.
CAG Report 1 of 2026Performance/compliance auditCivil departments for the period ended March 2024.
CAG Report 3 of 2025Compliance auditCivil administration for the period ended March 2023.
CAG Report 4 of 2024Performance auditPublic-health infrastructure and management of health services.
Audit observation, allegation, inquiry, investigation, FIR, charge sheet, trial, conviction, acquittal, closure and appeal are separate statuses. No person is labelled guilty without a final judicial conviction.

CAG Bihar archive · State Finances 2024–25 · methodology.

Source ledger

Leadership: CM Secretariat, Vidhan Sabha and Lok Bhavan · Boundaries: Parliament, India Code and Lok Bhavan · Cabinets: Lok Bhavan, Bihar Government and e-Gazette · Elections and parties: ECI, CEO Bihar and Form 20 · Population: Census India · Economy: Bihar Finance/DES and CAG · Heritage: UNESCO and ASI · Nature: MoEFCC, NTCA, Ramsar and State Forest records · Movements: statutes and institutional archives · Accountability: CAG, courts and authorised agencies. Checked 2 September 2026.

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