List of governors of Bihar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Governor of Bihar |
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![]() Emblem of Bihar
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Style | His Excellency |
Residence | Raj Bhavan, Patna, Bihar |
Appointer | President of India |
Term length | At the pleasure of the president |
Inaugural holder | Jairamdas Daulatram |
Formation | 15 August 1947 |

The Governor of Bihar is the official head of the Indian state of Bihar. Think of them as the state's main representative. The President of India chooses and appoints the Governor.
Arif Mohammad Khan is the current Governor of Bihar. Did you know that two former Governors of Bihar, Zakir Husain and Ram Nath Kovind, later became the President of India? That's a pretty big deal!
What Does the Governor Do?
The Governor has important jobs and powers. These powers help them manage the state and make sure things run smoothly.
- Executive Powers: These are about running the state government. The Governor helps with appointments and removals of important officials.
- Legislative Powers: These powers are about making laws. The Governor works with the state's lawmaking bodies, like the Vidhan Sabha or Vidhan Parishad.
- Discretionary Powers: Sometimes, the Governor can make decisions on their own. These are special powers they use when needed.
The Governor of Bihar also has another important role. They are the head, or chancellor, of all the universities in Bihar. There are currently 12 universities where the Governor serves as chancellor.

Governors of Bihar Since 1947
Bihar has had many Governors since India became independent in 1947. Each Governor plays a key role in the state's leadership.
• | indicates that this was an additional charge or acting |
# | Name | Portrait | Started Office | Left Office | How Long They Served | Home State | Appointed by |
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1. | Jairamdas Daulatram | ![]() |
15 August 1947 | 11 January 1948 | 149 days | Maharashtra | Lord Mountbatten |
2. | Madhav Shrihari Aney | ![]() |
12 January 1948 | 14 June 1952 | 4 years, 154 days | Maharashtra | |
3. | R. R. Diwakar | ![]() |
15 June 1952 | 5 July 1957 | 5 years, 20 days | Karnataka | Rajendra Prasad |
4. | Zakir Husain | ![]() |
6 July 1957 | 11 May 1962 | 4 years, 309 days | Andhra Pradesh | |
5. | M. A. Ayyangar | ![]() |
12 May 1962 | 6 December 1967 | 5 years, 208 days | ||
6. | Nityanand Kanungo | 7 December 1967 | 20 January 1971 | 3 years, 44 days | Odisha | Zakir Husain | |
– | Justice U.N. Sinha | ![]() |
21 January 1971 | 31 January 1971 | 10 days | Not Known | V. V. Giri |
7. | Dev Kant Baruah | ![]() |
1 February 1971 | 4 February 1973 | 2 years, 3 days | Assam | |
8. | Ramchandra Dhondiba Bhandare | ![]() |
4 February 1973 | 15 June 1976 | 3 years, 132 days | Maharashtra | |
9. | Jagannath Kaushal | ![]() |
16 June 1976 | 31 January 1979 | 2 years, 232 days | Punjab | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed |
– | Justice K.B.N. Singh | ![]() |
31 January 1979 | 19 September 1979 | 231 days | Not Known | Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy |
10. | Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai | ![]() |
20 September 1979 | 15 March 1985 | 5 years, 176 days | Uttar Pradesh | |
11. | P. Venkatasubbaiah | ![]() |
15 March 1985 | 25 February 1988 | 2 years, 347 days | Andhra Pradesh | Zail Singh |
12. | Govind Narain Singh | ![]() |
26 February 1988 | 24 January 1989 | 334 days | Madhya Pradesh | R. Venkataraman |
– | Justice Dipak Kumar Sen | ![]() |
24 January 1989 | 28 January 1989 | 4 days | Bengal Presidency | |
13. | R.D. Pradhan | ![]() |
29 January 1989 | 2 February 1989 | 4 days | Maharashtra | |
14. | Jagannath Pahadia | ![]() |
3 March 1989 | 2 February 1990 | 336 days | Rajasthan | |
– | Justice G.G. Sohoni | ![]() |
2 February 1990 | 16 February 1990 | 14 days | Not Known | |
15. | Mohammad Saleem | ![]() |
16 February 1990 | 13 February 1991 | 362 days | Uttar Pradesh | |
– | B. Satya Narayan Reddy | ![]() |
14 February 1991 | 18 March 1991 | 32 days | Andhra Pradesh | |
16. | Mohammad Shafi Qureshi | ![]() |
19 March 1991 | 13 August 1993 | 2 years, 147 days | Jammu and Kashmir | |
(10). | Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai | ![]() |
14 August 1993 | 26 April 1998 | 4 years, 255 days | Uttar Pradesh | Shankar Dayal Sharma |
17. | Sunder Singh Bhandari | ![]() |
27 April 1998 | 15 March 1999 | 322 days | Rajasthan | K. R. Narayan |
– | Justice B.M. Lall | ![]() |
15 March 1999 | 5 October 1999 | 204 days | Not Known | |
— | Suraj Bhan | ![]() |
6 October 1999 | 22 November 1999 | 47 days | Haryana | |
18. | V. C. Pande | ![]() |
23 November 1999 | 12 June 2003 | 3 years, 201 days | Jammu and Kashmir | |
19. | M. Rama Jois | ![]() |
12 June 2003 | 31 October 2004 | 1 year, 141 days | Karnataka | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
– | Ved Prakash Marwah | ![]() |
1 November 2004 | 4 November 2004 | 3 days | North-West Frontier Province | |
20. | Buta Singh | ![]() |
5 November 2004 | 29 January 2006 | 1 year, 85 days | Rajasthan | |
- | Gopalkrishna Gandhi | ![]() |
31 January 2006 | 21 June 2006 | 141 days | National Capital Territory of Delhi | |
21. | R. S. Gavai | ![]() |
22 June 2006 | 9 July 2008 | 2 years, 17 days | Maharashtra | |
22. | R. L. Bhatia | ![]() |
10 July 2008 | 28 June 2009 | 353 days | Punjab | Pratibha Patil |
23. | Devanand Konwar | ![]() |
29 June 2009 | 21 March 2013 | 3 years, 265 days | Assam | |
24. | D. Y. Patil | ![]() |
22 March 2013 | 26 November 2014 | 1 year, 188 days | Maharashtra | Pranab Mukherjee |
— | Keshari Nath Tripathi | 27 November 2014 | 15 August 2015 | 261 days | Uttar Pradesh | ||
25. | Ram Nath Kovind | ![]() |
16 August 2015 | 20 June 2017 | 1 year, 308 days | ||
— | Keshari Nath Tripathi | 20 June 2017 | 29 September 2017 | 101 days | |||
26. | Satya Pal Malik | ![]() |
30 September 2017 | 23 August 2018 | 327 days | Ramnath Kovind | |
27. | Lalji Tandon | 23 August 2018 | 28 July 2019 | 339 days | |||
28. | Phagu Chauhan | ![]() |
29 July 2019 | 13 February 2023 | 3 years, 199 days | ||
29. | Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar | ![]() |
14 February 2023 | 1 January 2025 | 1 year, 322 days | Goa | Droupadi Murmu |
30. | Arif Mohammad Khan | ![]() |
2 January 2025 | Incumbent | 211 days | Uttar Pradesh |
More to Explore
- Governor (India) - Learn more about Governors in other Indian states.
- Chief Minister of Bihar - Find out about the head of the state government in Bihar.