List of chief ministers of West Bengal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chief Minister of West Bengal
Seal of the State of West Bengal
Incumbent Mamata Banerjee since 20 May 2011
Chief Minister's Office Government of West Bengal
Style	The Honourable (formal) Madam Chief Minister (informal) Her Excellency (diplomatic)
Abbreviation	CM
Member of	Cabinet West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Reports to	Governor of West Bengal West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Residence	30-B, Harish Chatterjee Street, Kolkata
Seat	Nabanna, Howrah
Nominator	Members of the Government of West Bengal in West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Appointer	Governor of West Bengal by convention based on appointees ability to command confidence in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Term length	At the confidence of the assembly Chief Minister's term is for five years and is subject to no term limits.
Precursor	Prime Minister of Bengal
Inaugural holder	Prafulla Chandra Ghosh as Premier Bidhan Chandra Ray as Chief Minister
Formation	15 August 1947 (77 years ago) (1947-08-15)
Deputy	Deputy Chief Minister (vacant)
Salary	₹117,000 (US$2,000)/monthly ₹1,404,000 (US$24,000)/annually

The Chief Minister of West Bengal is like the main leader of the government in the Indian state of West Bengal. Think of them as the head of the team that runs the state. They lead a group of ministers called the Council of Ministers.

The Chief Minister and their team make important decisions for the state. The Governor of West Bengal chooses the Chief Minister. This leader and their ministers are responsible to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, which is like the state's parliament.

A Look Back: West Bengal's Leaders

On August 17, 1947, the area known as Bengal was divided. Part of it became East Bengal (now Bangladesh), and the other part became the Indian state of West Bengal.

Since then, West Bengal has had several Chief Ministers. The first leader was Prafulla Chandra Ghosh. He was called the premier at that time. Later, in 1950, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy became the first official Chief Minister after India's Constitution was put in place.

After a few years, West Bengal went through a time of political changes. There were three elections and different governments. Sometimes, the central government had to take control, which is called President's rule. This happened a few times between 1967 and 1972. Then, Siddhartha Shankar Ray served a full five-year term.

Longest-Serving Leaders

In 1977, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front won the election. This started Jyoti Basu's long time as Chief Minister. He was in office for 23 years! This was a record in India until 2018.

After Jyoti Basu, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya continued the Left Front's rule for another ten years. But in 2011, the Trinamool Congress party won the election. This ended the Left Front's 34-year rule, which was a big event.

Mamata Banerjee, the leader of the Trinamool Congress, became Chief Minister on May 20, 2011. She is the first woman to hold this important job in West Bengal. She has won elections again in 2016 and 2021. She is one of only two women Chief Ministers in India today (as of 2024).

Writers' Building, an old building in Kolkata, used to be the main office for West Bengal's Chief Minister.

Prafulla Chandra Ghosh, the first Premier of West Bengal after India became independent, at Writers' Building in 1947.

The State Emblem of India. West Bengal has been under President's rule four times, all between 1968 and 1977.

Jyoti Basu of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) served for over 23 years, making him one of India's longest-serving Chief Ministers.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya took over from Jyoti Basu and served for more than 11 years.

Understanding the Parties

This section helps you understand the different political parties mentioned in the tables below. Each color stands for a different party.

Premiers of West Bengal (1947–1950)

These were the leaders of West Bengal before the official Chief Minister role was created by the Indian Constitution.

Premiers of West Bengal

No.	Photo	Name	Time in Office		How Long	Assembly	Party		Appointed by (Governor)
1		Prafulla Chandra Ghosh	15 August 1947	22 January 1948	160 days	Provincial Assembly (1946–52)	Indian National Congress		Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari
2		Bidhan Chandra Roy	23 January 1948	26 January 1950	2 years, 3 days

Chief Ministers of West Bengal (1950–Present)

This table shows the Chief Ministers of West Bengal since the role was formally established.

#	Photo	Name	Constituency	Time in Office			Assembly	Party
(2)		Bidhan Chandra Roy		26 January 1950	30 March 1952	12 years, 156 days	Provincial	Indian National Congress
			Bowbazar	31 March 1952	5 April 1957		1st
				6 April 1957	2 April 1962		2nd
			Chowrangee	3 April 1962	1 July 1962		3rd
3		Prafulla Chandra Sen	Arambagh East	2 July 1962	1 March 1967	4 years, 242 days
4		Ajoy Mukherjee	Tamluk	1 March 1967	21 November 1967	265 days	4th	Bangla Congress
(1)		Prafulla Chandra Ghosh	Jhargram	21 November 1967	20 February 1968	91 days		Independent
–		No Chief Minister (President's rule)	N/A	20 February 1968	25 February 1969	1 year, 5 days	Dissolved	N/A
(4)		Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee	Tamluk	25 February 1969	19 March 1970	1 year, 22 days	5th	Bangla Congress
–		No Chief Minister (President's rule)	N/A	19 March 1970	30 July 1970	1 year, 14 days		N/A
				30 July 1970	2 April 1971		Dissolved
(4)		Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee	Tamluk	2 April 1971	29 June 1971	88 days	6th	Indian National Congress
–		No Chief Minister (President's rule)	N/A	29 June 1971	20 March 1972	265 days	Dissolved	N/A
5		Siddhartha Shankar Ray	Maldah	20 March 1972	30 April 1977	5 years, 41 days	7th	Indian National Congress
–		No Chief Minister (President's rule)	N/A	30 April 1977	21 June 1977	52 days	Dissolved	N/A
6		Jyoti Basu	Satgachhia	21 June 1977	23 May 1982	23 years, 138 days	8th	Communist Party of India (Marxist)
				24 May 1982	29 March 1987		9th
				30 March 1987	18 June 1991		10th
				19 June 1991	15 May 1996		11th
				16 May 1996	6 November 2000		12th
7		Buddhadeb Bhattacharya	Jadavpur	6 November 2000	14 May 2001	10 years, 195 days				13th
				15 May 2001	17 May 2006		13th
				18 May 2006	20 May 2011		14th
8		Mamata Banerjee	Bhabanipur	20 May 2011	25 May 2016	14 years, 28 days	15th	Trinamool Congress
				26 May 2016	4 May 2021		16th
				5 May 2021	Incumbent		17th

Chief Minister Statistics

This section shows some interesting facts about the Chief Ministers of West Bengal.

How long each party has held the Chief Minister's office in West Bengal (as of October 2024)      Communist Party of India (Marxist) (46.13%)     Indian National Congress (33.88%)     Trinamool Congress (18.24%)     Bangla Congress (1.44%)     Independent (0.34%)

See Also

• List of deputy chief ministers of West Bengal
• List of governors of West Bengal
• List of rulers of Bengal
• Prime Minister of Bengal