Bihar Province


Bihar Province was a province of British India, created in 1936 by the partition of the Bihar and Orissa Province.

History

In 1756 Bihar was part of Bengal. On 14 October 1803 Orissa was occupied by the British Raj. On 1 April 1912 both Bihar and Orissa were separated from Bengal as Bihar and Orissa Province. On 1 April 1936 Bihar and Orissa 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 took a majority of the seats but declined to form the government. A minority provisional government was formed under Muhammad Yunus.
MinisterPortfolio
Muhammad YunusHome and Education
Ajit Prasad Singh DeoLocal Self-Government
Abdul Wahab KhanFinance and Irrigation
Gur Sahay LalRevenue and Development

The Congress reversed its decision and resolved to accept office in July 1937. Therefore, the Governor invited Shri Krishna Sinha to form the government.
MinisterPortfolio
Shri Krishna SinhaPremier,
Anugrah Narayan SinhaDeputy Premier, Finance and Local Self Government
Syed MahmudEducation
Jaglal ChoudharyPublic Health and Excise

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. 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.

Governors