Bihar Province was a province of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, created in 1936 by the partition of the

Bihar and Orissa Province Bihar and Orissa was a province of British India, which included the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha. The territories were conquered by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were governed by the then Indian C ...

History

In 1756, Bihar was part of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

. On 14 October 1803, Orissa was occupied by the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. On 22 March 1912, both Bihar and Orissa were separated from Bengal as Bihar and Orissa Province. On 1 April 1936, Bihar and

Orissa Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...

became separate provinces. The Government of India Act provided for the election of a provincial legislative assembly and a responsible government. Elections were held in 1937 and the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

took a majority of the seats but declined to form the government. A minority provisional government was formed under

Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist and civil society leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance ...

. The Congress reversed its decision and resolved to accept office in July 1937. Therefore, the Governor invited

Shri Krishna Sinha Shri Krishna Sinha (21 October 1887 – 31 January 1961), also known as Shri Babu, was the first chief minister of the Indian state of Bihar (1946–61). Except for the period of World War II, Sinha was the chief minister of Bihar from the time ...

to form the government. In 1939, along with Congress ministries in other provinces, Sinha resigned in protest of the Governor-General's declaration of war on Germany without consulting with Indian leaders and Bihar came under

Governor's Rule In India, President's rule is the suspension of state government and imposition of direct Union government rule in a state. Under Article 356 of the Constitution of India, if a state government is unable to function according to Constitutional ...

. Another round of elections were held in 1946, yielding another Congress majority and Sinha again became Premier. Finally on 15 August 1947, Bihar Province became part of independent India.Provinces of British India
/ref>

Governors

*1 Apr 1936 – 11 Mar 1937 Sir

James David Sifton Sir James David Sifton, KCSI, KCIE (17 April 1878 – 1952) was a British civil servant who was the Governor of Bihar and Orissa from 7 April 1932 to 31 March 1936 and then Governor of Bihar from 1 April 1936 to 10 March 1937. He was the first ...

(s.a.) *11 Mar 1937 – 5 Aug 1939 Sir

Maurice Garnier Hallett Sir Maurice Garnier Hallett (28 October 1883 30 May 1969) was a British administrator who served as governor of the United Provinces and of Bihar Province, collectively from 1936 to 1945. He also served as commander-in-chief of the British I ...

(b. 1883 – d. 1969) *5 Aug 1939 – 9 Jan 1943 Sir

Thomas Alexander Stewart Sir Thomas Alexander Stewart, KCSI, KCIE (26 February 1888 – 11 May 1964) was a British administrator in India who served as Governor of Bihar. Educated at George Heriot's School, Edinburgh and Edinburgh University, Stewart entered the Indian ...

(b. 1888 – d. 1964) (acting to Sep 1939) *9 Jan 1943 – 6 Sep 1943 Sir

Thomas George Rutherford Sir Thomas George Rutherford, KCSI, CIE (25 September 1886 – 5 August 1957) was a British administrator in India who served as Governor of Bihar from 1944 to 1946. Educated at George Watson's College, the University of Edinburgh The Un ...

(b. 1886 – d. 1957) (1st time) *6 Sep 1943 – 23 Apr 1944 Sir

Robert Francis Mudie Sir Robert Francis Mudie KCSI, KCIE, OBE (24 August 1890 – 15 September 1976) was a member of the Indian Civil Service during the British Raj. He was the last British Governor of Sind and after the partition of India and Pakistan in Au ...

(acting) (b. 1890 – d. 1976) *23 Apr 1944 – 13 May 1946 Sir

(s.a.) (2nd time) *13 May 1946 – 15 Aug 1947 Sir

Hugh Dow Sir Hugh Dow (8 May 1886 – 20 November 1978) was an Indian civil servant during the British Raj. He served as the Governor of Sindh. The Dow Medical College is named after him. Career Dow entered the Indian Civil Service in 1909 and served ...

(b. 1886 – d. 1978)

Premiers

*1 Apr 1937 – 19 Jul 1937 Mohammad Yunus (b. 1884 – d. 1952) MIP *20 Jul 1937 – 31 Oct 1939

(1st time) (b. 1888 – d. 1961) INC *31 Oct 1939 – 23 Mar 1946 Governor's Rule *23 Mar 1946 – 15 Aug 1947

(2nd time) (s.a.) INC

References

{{coord, 25.6, N, 85.1, E, region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title Provinces of British India History of Bihar

History

Governors

Premiers

See also

References