Bihar

Bihar just ended a 20-year era. In March 2026, Nitish Kumar stepped down as its Chief Minister.

Must Know

• Bihar’s capital is Patna. Its Chief Minister is Samrat Choudhary, sworn in on 15 April 2026 as Bihar’s first BJP Chief Minister. Its Governor is Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.), in office since 14 March 2026.
• Bihar was separated from the Bengal Presidency on 22 March 1912, an event marked every year as Bihar Day.
• Bihar borders Nepal to the north, West Bengal to the northeast, Uttar Pradesh to the west, and Jharkhand to the south.
• The Ganga River flows across Bihar from west to east, splitting the state’s plains roughly in half.

Good to Know

• Bihar’s borders have changed twice since 1912. Orissa (now Odisha) split off as its own province on 1 April 1936. Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar’s southern districts in 2000.
• Nitish Kumar served as Bihar’s Chief Minister for about 20 years, across several terms. He stepped down in March 2026 to contest the Rajya Sabha elections instead.
• Sri Krishna Sinha was Bihar’s first Chief Minister, serving from 1937 until his death in 1961. See ModHist0221 — Sri Krishna Sinha.
• Samrat Choudhary now leads a coalition government, under the National Democratic Alliance, built around the BJP and JD(U).
• Weeks before the 2025 election, Bihar launched Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, giving 75 lakh women Rs 10,000 each. See IndSoc0068 — Mahila Rojgar Yojana.
• As of 1 June 2026, all of Bihar’s police stations, along with all 17,762 police stations nationwide, use the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS). It digitises FIRs and charge sheets, and shares data across police, courts, prisons, and forensics. See Polity0158 — CCTNS for the full system.

Test Yourself

Great to Know

• Ancient Bihar was home to Nalanda, one of the world’s earliest universities. It was founded in the 5th century CE and flourished for hundreds of years, about 90 km south of Patna.
• Bodh Gaya, in Bihar, is where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment. Its Mahabodhi Temple was originally built by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE.
• The Mahabodhi Temple Complex became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. It remains one of Buddhism’s holiest pilgrimage sites, over 2,000 years after the events it commemorates.