View source for List of governors of Bihar-13082

{{short description|Wikipedia list article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Governor of Bihar
| insignia = Emblem of India.svg
| insigniasize = 50px
| insigniacaption = '''Raj Bhavan'''
| flag = Flag of India.svg
| flagsize = 110px
| flagcaption = [[Flag of India]]
| flagborder = yes
| image = Syed Ata Hasnain receiving President Droupadi Murmu (cropped).jpg
| incumbent = [[Syed Ata Hasnain]]
| incumbentsince = 14 March 2026
| style = [[Excellency|His Excellency]]
| residence = [[Raj Bhavan (Bihar)|Raj Bhavan, Patna, Bihar]]
| termlength = Five Years
| appointer = [[President of India]]
| formation = {{start date and years ago|df=yes|1936|04|01}}
| inaugural = 
| website = {{URL|http://governor.bih.nic.in}}
| body = 
}}

<!-- this list can be expanded in a similar fashion to [[List of Chief Ministers of Kerala]] -->
[[File:IN-BR.svg|right|180px|thumb|Location of [[Bihar]] in India.]]
The '''Governor of Bihar''' is a nominal head and representative of the [[President of India]] in the state of [[Bihar]]. The Governor is appointed by the President for a term of 5 years. [[Phagu Chauhan]] is the current governor of Bihar.<ref>{{cite news|title=President Kovind Appoints 5 New Governors, Tamil Nadu Gets Its Own After A Year|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/president-approves-appointment-of-5-governors-1-lieutenant-governor-1757018|access-date=30 September 2017|work=NDTV.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/satya-pal-malik-new-j-k-governor-lalji-tandon-takes-his-place-in-bihar-118082101168_1.html|title=Satya Pal Malik new J&K Governor, Lalji Tandon takes his place in Bihar|last=Mohan|first=Archis|date=2018-08-21|work=Business Standard India|access-date=2018-08-21}}</ref> Former President [[Zakir Hussain (politician)|Zakir Hussain]] and current President [[Ram Nath Kovind]] were two such Governors of Bihar who succeeded on to become the [[President of India]].

==Powers and functions==
The Governor has:

*'''Executive powers''' related to administration, appointments and removals,
*'''Legislative powers''' related to lawmaking and the state legislature, that is Vidhan Sabha or Vidhan Parishad, and
*'''Discretionary powers''' to be carried out according to the discretion of the Governor.

{{See also|Governors of India#Powers and functions|l1=Powers and functions of the Governor}}

In his ex-officio capacity, the Governor of Bihar is Chancellor of the universities of Bihar (at present 12) as per the Acts of the Universities.

[[File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-129-7.jpg|thumb|Sir Hugh Dow and Sir Frederick Seaford – Dow was the last governor of Bihar under British Raj]]
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Yousuf husain.jpg|thumb|[[Zakir Husain (politician)|Zakir Hussain]] (sitting) was 4th governor of Bihar and went on to become 3rd President of India]] -->
[[File:Ram Nath Kovind welcoming Pranab Mukherjee at Patna.jpg|thumb|[[Ram Nath Kovind]] was 26th Governor of Bihar who went on to become 14th President of India.]]

==Governors of Bihar==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! #
! Name
! Entered office
! Left office
|-
! colspan="4" |Before Independence
|-
! 1
|[[Sir James David Sifton]]
| 1 April 1936
| 10 March 1937
|-
! 2
|[[Maurice Garnier Hallett|Sir Maurice Garnier Hallett]]
| 11 March 1937
| 15 May 1938
|-
! –
|[[Thomas Alexander Stewart|Sir Thomas Alexander Stewart]] ''(acting)''
| 15 May 1938
| 16 September 1938
|-
! (2)
|[[Maurice Garnier Hallett|Sir Maurice Garnier Hallett]]
| 17 September 1938
| 5 August 1939
|-
! 3
|[[Thomas Alexander Stewart|Sir Thomas Alexander Stewart]]
| 6 August 1939
| 2 February 1943
|-
! 4
|[[Thomas George Rutherford|Sir Thomas George Rutherford]]
| 3 February 1943
| 6 September 1943
|-
! –
|[[Francis Mudie|Sir Francis Mudie]] ''(acting)''
| 7 September 1943
| 23 April 1944
|-
! (4)
|[[Thomas George Rutherford|Sir Thomas George Rutherford]]
| 24 April 1944
| 12 May 1946
|-
! 5
|[[Hugh Dow|Sir Hugh Dow]]
| 13 May 1946
| 14 August 1947
|-
! colspan="4" |After Independence
|-
! 1
|[[Jairamdas Daulatram]]
| 15 August 1947
| 11 January 1948
|-
! 2
|[[Madhav Shrihari Aney]]
| 12 January 1948
| 14 June 1952
|-
! 3
|[[R. R. Diwakar]]
| 15 June 1952
| 5 July 1957
|-
! 4
|[[Zakir Hussain (politician)|Zakir Hussain]]
| 6 July 1957
| 11 May 1962
|-
! 5
|[[M. A. S. Ayyangar]]
| 12 May 1962
| 6 December 1967
|-
! 6
|[[Nityanand Kanungo]]
| 7 December 1967
| 20 January 1971
|-
! 7
|[[Justice U.N. Sinha]] ''(acting)''
| 21 January 1971
| 31 January 1971
|-
! 8
|[[Dev Kant Baruah]]
| 1 February 1971
| 4 February 1973
|-
! 9
|[[Ramchandra Dhondiba Bhandare]]
| 4 February 1973
| 15 June 1976
|-
! 10
|[[Jagannath Kaushal]]
| 16 June 1976
| 31 January 1979
|-
! 11
|[[Justice K.B.N. Singh]] ''(acting)''
| 31 January 1979
| 19 September 1979
|-
! 12
|[[Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai]]
| 20 September 1979
| 15 March 1985
|-
! 13
|[[P. Venkatasubbaiah]]
| 15 March 1985
| 25 February 1988
|-
! 14
|[[Govind Narayan Singh|Govind Narain Singh]]
| 26 February 1988
| 24 January 1989
|-
! 15
|[[Justice Dipak Kumar Sen]] ''(acting)''
| 24 January 1989
| 28 January 1989
|-
! 16
|[[R.D. Pradhan]]
| 29 January 1989
| 2 February 1989
|-
! 17
|[[Jagannath Pahadia]]
| 3 March 1989
| 2 February 1990
|-
! 18
|[[Justice G.G. Sohoni]] ''(acting)''
| 2 February 1990
| 16 February 1990
|-
! 19
|[[Mohammad Saleem (Governor)|Mohammad Saleem]]
| 16 February 1990
| 13 February 1991
|-
! 20
|[[B. Satya Narayan Reddy]] ''(acting)''
| 14 February 1991
| 18 March 1991
|-
! 21
|[[Mohammad Shafi Qureshi]]
| 19 March 1991
| 13 August 1993
|-
! 22
|[[Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai]]
| 14 August 1993
| 26 April 1998
|-
! 23
|[[Sunder Singh Bhandari]]
| 27 April 1998
| 15 March 1999
|-
! 24
|[[Justice B.M. Lall]] ''(acting)''
| 15 March 1999
| 5 October 1999
|-
!25
|[[Suraj Bhan]] ''(additional charge)''
| 6 October 1999
| 22 November 1999
|-
! 26
|[[V. C. Pande]]
| 23 November 1999
| 12 June 2003
|-
! 27
|[[M R Jois]]
| 12 June 2003
| 31 October 2004
|-
! 28
|[[Ved Prakash Marwah]] ''(acting)''
| 1 November 2004
| 4 November 2004
|-
! 29
|[[Buta Singh]]
| 5 November 2004
| 29 January 2006
|-
! 30
|[[Gopalkrishna Gandhi]]
| 31 January 2006
| 21 June 2006
|-
! 31
|[[R. S. Gavai]]
| 22 June 2006
| 9 July 2008
|-
! 32
|[[R. L. Bhatia]]
| 10 July 2008
| 28 June 2009
|-
! 33
|[[Devanand Konwar]]
| 29 June 2009
| 21 March 2013
|-
! 34
|[[D. Y. Patil]]
| 22 March 2013
| 26 November 2014
|-
! 35
|[[Keshari Nath Tripathi]] 
| 27 November 2014
| 15 August 2015
|-
! 36
|[[Ram Nath Kovind]]
| 16 August 2015
| 20 June 2017<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://presidentofindia.nic.in/profile.htm|title=Profile of the President of India|website=presidentofindia.nic.in|language=en|access-date=2018-01-12}}</ref>
|-
! 37
|[[Keshari Nath Tripathi]] ''(additional charge)''
| 20 June 2017<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ram-nath-kovind-resigns-as-bihar-governor/article19108472.ece|title=Ram Nath Kovind resigns as Bihar Governor|date=2017-06-20|work=The Hindu|access-date=2018-01-12|others=PTI|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
| 29 September 2017
|-
! 38
|[[Satya Pal Malik]]
| 30 September 2017<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/who-is/who-is-satya-pal-malik-bihar-governor-4868075/|title=Who is Satya Pal Malik?|date=2017-09-30|work=The Indian Express|access-date=2018-01-12|language=en-US}}</ref>
| 23 August 2018
|-
!39
|[[Lalji Tandon]]
|23 August 2018<ref>{{cite news |title=Lalji Tandon sworn in as Bihar Governor |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/lalji-tandon-sworn-in-as-bihar-governor/article24758631.ece |work=The Hindu|date=23 August 2018 |language=en-IN}}</ref>
|28 July 2019
|-
!40
|[[Phagu Chauhan]]
|29 July 2019
|17 February 2023
|-
!41
|[[Rajendra Arlekar]] 
|17 February 2023
|2 January 2025
|-
!42
|[[Arif Mohammad Khan]] 
|2 January 2025
|14 March 2026
|-
!43
|[[Syed Ata Hasnain]] 
|14 March 2026
|Incumbent
|}

==See also==
*[[Governor (India)]]
*[[Chief Minister of Bihar]]
*[[List of Governors of Bihar and Orissa]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://governor.bih.nic.in Bihar governor website]

{{Government of Bihar}}
{{Governor of Bihar}}
{{Current Indian governors}}
{{Administrators of provinces in British India}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:List of Governors of Bihar}}
[[Category:Governors of Bihar| ]]
[[Category:Lists of governors of Indian states|Bihar]]
[[Category:Bihar-related lists|Governors]]