West Bengal CM List 1947 to 2023

West Bengal CM List 1947 to 2023: West Bengal Located in the eastern part of India on the shores of the Bay of Bengal along the border with Bangladesh, the state of West Bengal has a population of about 100 million and is intimately associated with the history of India. The state of West Bengal has witnessed history from the beginning to the end of the British Raj in India. However, the inclusion of West Bengal was not an easy task because during the partition of 1947, the Muslim League representatives decided to include the whole of Bengal in Pakistan, but the majority Hindu community of Bengal at that time decided to include West Bengal in India and a new state was formed called West Bengal.

Prime Minister was called instead of Chief Minister

Today you will be surprised to know that the Chief Ministers of West Bengal from 1947 to 1950 were called Prime Ministers. After 1950, the Chief Minister gradually stopped being called the Prime Minister.

West Bengal first Chief Minister Name

West Bengal CM List 1947: Shri Prafulla Chandra Ghosh was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of West Bengal on 13 July 1947. He became the Chief Minister of West Bengal on behalf of the Indian National Congress political party. During this time he was the Chief Minister for 42 days. After that, on 15 August 1947, Prafulla Chandra Ghosh was sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal in independent India. He was the Chief Minister of West Bengal till January 22, 1948, after which his colleague Dr. Bidhanchandra Roy took oath as the Chief Minister of Bengal on January 23, 1948.

Currently the Chief Minister of West Bengal is Mrs. Mamata Banerjee, she won the 2021 West Bengal Assembly Election by a landslide and was sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal for the third time. Mamata Banerjee’s political party is called All India Trinamool Congress. From 1947 to 2023, a total of 8 Chief Ministers took oath in West Bengal. You can see their complete list below.

West Bengal CM List 1947 to 2023

1. Prafulla Chandra Ghosh

Duration – 3rd July to 14th August 1947

Political Party- Indian National Congress

At this time India did not gain independence, the Provincial Legislature was formed at this time with Prafulla Chandra Ghosh as its Chief Minister.
Prafulla Chandra Ghosh was born in 1891 in present-day Dhaka city of Bangladesh. He then completed his graduation in Chemistry from Calcutta University. Then, inspired by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, he joined India’s freedom struggle.

Prafulla Chandra Ghosh (1947-1948)

Duration: 15th August 1947 to 22nd January 1948

Political Party- Indian National Congress

After the independence of India, Prafulla Chandra Ghosh had to take oath again. During this time he was Chief Minister for 160 days.

2. Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (1948-1950)

Duration: 1948, 23 January to 1950, 25 January

Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy was the second Chief Minister of Bengal during which he was the Chief Minister of West Bengal for two years and two days. After winning the assembly elections of 1952, he again took oath as the chief minister.
Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy was born in 1882. He established himself as a renowned physician, having practiced at Neelratan Medical College in present-day Kolkata. In 1942, he joined Calcutta University as Vice-Chancellor and later joined politics as a representative of the Indian National Congress.

Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (1950-1962)

Duration – 26 January 1950 to 1 July 1962

Political Party- Indian National Congress

Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy was the Chief Minister of West Bengal for 12 years and 156 days. His assembly constituencies were Bau Bazar and Chowrangi.

3. Prafulla Chandra Sen (1962-1967)

Duration: 9 July 1962 to 28 February 1967

Political Party- Indian National Congress

The third Chief Minister of West Bengal is Prafulla Chandra Sen. He was the Chief Minister of West Bengal for 4 years and 234 days after Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. His assembly constituency was Arambagh East, Prafulla Chandra Sen was born on 10 April 1857. He was a freedom fighter of Bengal, born in Khulna district of present day Bangladesh. He studied Physics from Scottish Church College, Kolkata. He entered politics by associating with Gandhiji in the non-cooperation movement.

4. Ajay Kumar Mukherjee (1967)

Duration: 1 March 1967 to 21 November 1967

Political party- Bengal Congress

West Bengal CM List: The fourth Chief Minister of West Bengal was Ajay Kumar Mukherjee, he was the Chief Minister of West Bengal for a total of 265 days. Ajay Kumar Mukherjee represented the Tamluk Assembly in the elections.
Ajay Kumar Mukherjee was born in West Bengal in 1901. He was an Indian freedom fighter. During his studies he joined the non-cooperation movement at the call of Gandhiji.

West Bengal CM List 1947 to 2023

Prafulla Chandra Ghosh (1967-1968)

Duration – 21 November 1967 to 19 February 1968

Political Party – Independent

This first Chief Minister of Bengal became the Chief Minister of West Bengal again in 1967 but this time he was the Chief Minister for only 90 days. After this President’s rule was imposed in West Bengal for one year.

President’s Rule (1968-1969)

Duration: 20 February 1968 to 25 February 1969

President’s rule was imposed for 1 year and 5 days in West Bengal.

Ajay Kumar Mukherjee (1969-1970)

Duration: 25 February 1969 to 16 March 1970

Political party- Bengal Congress

Ajay Kumar Mukherjee was again elected as the Chief Minister of Bengal after the President’s rule, during which he was the Chief Minister of West Bengal for 1 year and 19 days.

President’s Rule (1970-1971)

Tenure – 19 March 1970 to 2 April 1971

President’s rule was imposed in West Bengal in 1970. During this time President’s rule was in force in West Bengal for 1 year and 14 days.

Ajay Kumar Mukherjee (1971)

Period- 2 April 1971 to 28 June 1971

After the President’s rule, Ajay Kumar Mukherjee again became the Chief Minister of West Bengal, but this time he was the Chief Minister of West Bengal for only 87 days.

President’s Rule (1971-1972)

Duration – 29 June 1971 to 20 March 1973

29 In 1971, President’s rule was again imposed in West Bengal, during which President’s rule was imposed in West Bengal for 265 days.

5. Siddharth Shankar Roy (1972-1977)

Tenure: 20 March 1972 to 30 April 1977

Political Party- Indian National Congress

West Bengal CM List: The fifth Chief Minister of West Bengal is Siddharth Shankar Roy, he was the Chief Minister of West Bengal for 5 years and 41 days. Siddharth Shankar Roy, born in 1920, was a political scientist and representative of the Indian National Congress. Professionally he was a law accountant and barrister. He also served as the Governor of Punjab.

President’s Rule (1977)

Duration- 30th April 1977 to 20th June 1977

List of Chief Ministers of West Bengal 1947-2023

6. Jyoti Basu (1977-2000)

Tenure – 21 June 1977 to 5 November 2000

Political Party- Communist Party of India

West Bengal CM List: Jyoti Basu is the sixth Chief Minister of West Bengal. He is the only Chief Minister of West Bengal who has taken oath as Chief Minister of West Bengal 5 times consecutively. His assembly seat was Satgachia. During his retirement he was the longest serving Chief Minister of India, serving as the Chief Minister of West Bengal for a total of 23 years.

Born Jyoti Basu in 1914, he went to England for his studies and from there he was quoted as a leftist. After that he came to West Bengal and accepted the membership of the Communist Party. He was the leader of opposition in Bengal during Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy’s tenure as Chief Minister. He was nominated as the Prime Minister of India in 1996 but resigned from the post due to his party’s decision.

7. Buddhadev Bhattacharya (2000-2011)

Duration – 6 November 2000 to 13 May 2011

Political Party- Communist Party of India

Buddhadev Bhattacharya was the seventh Chief Minister of West Bengal. He was the Chief Minister of West Bengal for 10 years and 188 days. Sri Buddhadev Bhattacharya was born
in 1944 in North Kolkata . He completed his graduation in Bengal from Calcutta Presidency University. In 2000, Jyoti Bose handed over the responsibility of Chief Minister of West Bengal to Buddhadev Bhattacharya due to physical illness after serving as Chief Minister for 5 times. Then Buddhadev Bhattacharya won two consecutive terms as Chief Minister of West Bengal.

8. Mamata Banerjee (2011-present)

Tenure – 20th May 2011 to present time

Political Party- All India Trinamool Congress

West Bengal CM List: Mamata Banerjee took office as the eighth Chief Minister of Bengal. He represents Bhavanipur Assembly Constituency. Mamata Banerjee, the first woman Chief Minister of Bengal, who defeated 34 years of communist rule, was elected as the Chief Minister of Bengal in 2011. Till date he has taken oath as Chief Minister of West Bengal 3 times.

Mamata Banerjee was born in 1955 in a lower middle class family in Kolkata. He completed his graduation from Sri Shikshayan College, Calcutta and MA from Calcutta University. She entered politics while still a student, joining Mamata Banerjee’s Congress party in 1970. In 1997, he severed ties with the Indian Congress and formed the All India Trinamool Congress Party. In 1999, he fought together in an anti-Congress coalition and was sworn in as India’s Railway Minister when the coalition government was formed. In 2011, his party Trinamool Congress won the West Bengal Assembly elections and he took over as the Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Q&A: West Bengal CM List 1947 to 2023