After independence, there was a golden era of Shri Krishna Singh in Bihar, after which there was a huge instability due to changing 23 Chief Ministers by 1961-90. Then the era of Lalu-Rabri and Nitish Kumar gave the state a long and stable rule.
Patna: Since the independence of the country, the politics of Bihar has always been colorful, ups and downs, sometimes filled with upheaval. The chair of power in this state kept changing so quickly that many times historians were also shocked. After 1947, Bihar saw many faces, many leaders came and gone, but the taste of stable regime was rarely found.
1947–1961: Shri Krishna Singh and Golden Age
The political story of Bihar begins with Shri Krishna Singh. When India became independent on 15 August 1947, Sri Krishna Singh took charge of the state. He taught Bihar the lesson of stability and development to Bihar while staying on the Chief Minister’s chair for about 13 years 169 days.
During the time of Shri Krishna Babu, a strong foundation for education, roads, administration and law was laid. His era is still considered to be the golden era of Bihar. At this time there was not only stability in politics, but also created an atmosphere of trust between the public and the government.
1961–1990: Long round of instability
But as soon as the era of Shri Krishna Babu ended, Bihar’s politics showed a new color. From 1961 to 1990, i.e. 23 Chief Ministers changed in 29 years. It seemed that sitting on the chair of power had become a difficult game. During this time, many Chief Ministers held office for only a few days to months. For example …
- Deep Narayan Singh only 17 days
- Satish Prasad Singh only 4 days
- Bhola Paswan Shastri became the Chief Minister three times from 1968 to 1972, but could not complete the tenure even once.
There were many reasons behind this instability, party high command’s intervention on Bihar, caste politics, struggle to reach power of small parties. At such a time, public expectations were often incomplete, and many times had to be imposed President’s rule.
1990–2005: Lalu and Rabri’s round of social justice
Then came the time of 1990, when Lalu Prasad Yadav became the Chief Minister of Bihar. This round of Lalu was completely filled with social justice and empowerment of backward classes. Lalu had power from 1990–1997, and after that his wife Rabri Devi took over the state from 1997–2005.
In these 15 years, both of them had at least one term i.e. 5 years. This time is considered a symbol of stability and social change in Bihar politics. In this era, politics was not only to reach power but also to establish justice and representation in the society.
Since 2005 till now: Nitish Kumar and modern Bihar
Since 2005, Nitish Kumar has become a symbol of stability in Bihar politics. He completed the term of 2005–2010. Jeetan Ram Manjhi became the Chief Minister for some time in 2010–2015. In 2015–2020, Nitish Kumar again completed a five -year term.
Development, social schemes and administrative reforms were prominent in Nitish Kumar’s politics. He is considered to be the most influential and longest -living Chief Minister of the state. Many schemes started in his era, which directly affect the life of the public.