Bihar Chief Ministers List From 1946 to 2026, Check Their Name and Tenure

The Chief Minister of Bihar is the main leader of the state government. This person handles the daily work of the government and takes important decisions for the state. While the Governor is the official head, the real power is with the Chief Minister. The role has become very important over time, as the Chief Minister guides Bihar’s development, law and order, and public welfare.

History of Chief Ministers in Bihar

Since 1946, Bihar has had 23 Chief Ministers. The first Chief Minister was Shri Krishna Sinha, who played a major role in the early development of the state after independence.

Over the years, many leaders have served Bihar and contributed to its growth. Some Chief Minister served for long periods, while others held the position for only a few days.

Tenure and Appointment of Chief Minister of Bihar

The Chief Minister usually serves for five years, which is equal to the term of the Legislative Assembly. However, they must have the support of the majority of members. If they lose this support, they can be removed through a non-confidence motion.

There is no limit on how many times a person can become Chief Minister. A leader can serve multiple terms if elected again.

Oath of Office

Before starting the role, the Chief Minister takes an oath. In this oath, they promise to follow the Constitution of India, protect the unity of the country, and serve the people fairly without any bias.

Current Chief Minister of Bihar

As of April 2026, Samrat Choudhary is the current Chief Minister of Bihar. He took office after Nitish Kumar stepped down. Nitish Kumar resigned after being elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Longest-Serving Chief Minister of Bihar

Nitish Kumar is the longest-serving Chief Minister of Bihar. He has left the state for many years across different terms. His leadership has had a strong impact on Bihar’s politics and development.

List of Chief Ministers of Bihar from 1946 to 2026

The list of Chief Ministers of Bihar from 1946 to 2026 shows the leaders who governed the state and played an important role in its development and administration.

Here is the list of Chief Ministers of Bihar from 1946 to 2026:

S. No.	Name	Tenure
		From	To
1.	Sri Krishna Sinha	02nd April 1946	31 January 1961
2.	Deep Narayan Singh	01st February 1961	18th February 1961
3.	Binodanand Jha	18th February 1961	02nd October 1963
4.	K.B. Sahay	02nd October 1963	05th March 1965
5.	Mahamaya Prasad Sinha	05th March 1965	28th January 1968
6.	Satish Prasad Singh	28th January 1968	01st February 1968
7.	B.P. Mandal	01st February 1968	22nd March 1968
8.	Bhola Prasad Shastri	22nd March 1968	29th June 1968
9.	Harihar Singh	26th February 1969	22nd June 1969
10.	Bhola Prasad Shastri	22nd June 1969	04th July 1969
11.	Daroga Prasad Rai	16th February 1970	22nd December 1970
12.	Karpoori Thakur	22nd December 1970	02nd June 1971
13.	Bhola Prasad Shastri	02nd June 1971	09th January 1972
14.	Kedar Pandey	19th March 1972	02nd July 1973
15.	Abdul Gafoor	02nd July 1973	11th April 1975
16.	Jagannath Mishra	11th April 1975	30th April 1977
17.	Karpoori Thakur	24th June 1977	21st April 1979
18.	Ram Sundar Das	21st April 1979	17th February 1980
19.	Jagannath Mishra	08th June 1980	14th August 1983
20.	Chandrasekhar Singh	14th August 1983	12th March 1985
21.	Bindeshwari Dubey	12th March 1985	13th February 1988
22.	Bhagwat Jha Azad	14th February 1988	10th March 1989
23.	Satyendra Narayan Sinha	11th March 1989	06th December 1989
24.	Jagannath Mishra	06th December 1989	10th March 1990
25.	Lalu Prasad Yadav	10th March 1990	28th March 1995
26.	Lalu Prasad Yadav	04th April 1995	25th July 1997
27.	Rabri Devi	25th July 1997	11th February 1999
28.	Rabri Devi	09th March 1999	02nd March 2000
29.	Nitish Kumar	03rd March 2000	10th March 2000
30.	Rabri Devi	11th March 2000	06th March 2005
31.	Nitish Kumar	24th November 2005	20th May 2014
32.	Jitan Ram Manjhi	20th May 2014	22nd February 2015
33.	Nitish Kumar	22nd February 2015	April 2026
34.	Samrat Chourdhary	05th April 2026	Incumbent

Roles and Powers of Chief Minister

• The Chief Minister is the head of the executive branch in Bihar.
• They lead the government and ensure all departments function properly.
• The Governor appoints the leader of the majority party as Chief Minister after elections.
• The Chief Minister forms a council of ministers to run the government.
• They assign different departments like education, health, and finance to ministers.
• All ministers work under the leadership of the Chief Minister.
• The Chief Minister conducts cabinet meetings.
• They make and implement government policies.
• They ensure proper execution of government plans.