Pariksha SaathiLesson 4 of 10 · Bihar General Knowledge
Formation of Bihar, Its Legislature and Administration
Drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked on 28 October 2026; not yet read line by line by a human editor. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Editorial standards & corrections
How the state took shape
Bihar's present boundaries are the result of three separations and one transfer. The province of Bihar and Orissa was carved out of the Bengal Presidency on 22 March 1912, which is why 22 March is celebrated as Bihar Diwas (Bihar Day). Orissa became a separate province on 1 April 1936. After Independence Bihar became a Part A state under the Constitution, and in the reorganisation of 1956 the Purulia area of Manbhum district and a part of Purnea district were transferred to West Bengal under the Bihar and West Bengal (Transfer of Territories) Act 1956. Finally, the Bihar Reorganisation Act 2000 created Jharkhand out of the Chota Nagpur and Santhal Pargana regions on 15 November 2000, the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda.
What the separation of Jharkhand changed
Jharkhand took most of Bihar's minerals, forests, heavy industry and plateau land, leaving Bihar an almost entirely plain, agrarian and densely populated state. The Legislative Assembly shrank from 324 to 243 seats, Bihar's Lok Sabha seats from 54 to 40 and its Rajya Sabha seats from 22 to 16. Exams often test these before-and-after numbers, and the fact that Ranchi, once the summer capital of the province, went to Jharkhand.
The bicameral legislature
Bihar is one of the few states with two Houses, and Article 168 names it among them. The Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) has 243 elected members, with 38 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and 2 for Scheduled Tribes under the Delimitation Order of 2008, and a normal term of 5 years. The Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) has 75 members. Under Article 171 a Council may not be larger than one-third of the Assembly or smaller than 40 members; about one-third of its members are elected by the MLAs, about one-third by local bodies, one-twelfth by graduates and one-twelfth by teachers, and the rest are nominated by the Governor from people with special knowledge of literature, science, art, the co-operative movement and social service. The Council is a permanent House: one-third of its members retire every second year. Bihar had a bicameral legislature even under the Government of India Act 1935.
Representation in Parliament
Bihar elects 40 members to the Lok Sabha, of whom 6 seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes and none for Scheduled Tribes; only Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal have more seats. It sends 16 members to the Rajya Sabha, elected by the members of the Vidhan Sabha by proportional representation through the single transferable vote.
The executive and the High Court
As in every state, executive power rests formally with the Governor (Article 154) and in practice with the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister (Articles 163 and 164). Since the 91st Amendment (2003) the Council of Ministers may not exceed 15 per cent of the Assembly's strength, which for Bihar means at most 36 ministers including the Chief Minister. The Patna High Court was established in 1916; it also served Orissa until that state got its own High Court in 1948. Shri Krishna Sinha, the Bihar Kesari, headed the government from 1946 until his death in 1961 and is remembered as the first Chief Minister, while Jairamdas Daulatram was the first Governor after Independence.
Local government
Bihar's districts are grouped into divisions and divided into subdivisions and blocks, run by the district magistrate (collector), the sub-divisional officer and the block development officer. Rural self-government follows the three-tier pattern of the 73rd Amendment (1992): gram panchayat, panchayat samiti and zila parishad. The Bihar Panchayat Raj Act 2006 made Bihar the first state to reserve 50 per cent of panchayat seats and posts for women, and it also set up the Gram Kachahari, an elected village court headed by a sarpanch that settles petty civil and criminal disputes. Towns are governed by municipal corporations, nagar parishads and nagar panchayats under the Bihar Municipal Act 2007.
State symbols and language
The state emblem shows the Bodhi tree, a reminder of Bodh Gaya. The state bird is the house sparrow (gauraiya) and the state tree the peepal. Hindi is the official language of the state and Urdu its second official language.
Key facts
- Bihar Diwas: 22 March, marking the creation of the province of Bihar and Orissa in 1912.
- Jharkhand was created on 15 November 2000, Birsa Munda's birth anniversary, by the Bihar Reorganisation Act 2000.
- Before and after 2000: Assembly 324 to 243 seats, Lok Sabha 54 to 40, Rajya Sabha 22 to 16.
- Bihar Vidhan Sabha: 243 seats, 38 reserved for SCs and 2 for STs (Delimitation Order 2008); Vidhan Parishad: 75 members.
- Article 171: a Legislative Council may have at most one-third of the Assembly's strength and at least 40 members; one-third of its members retire every second year.
- Lok Sabha: 40 seats from Bihar (6 SC, no ST), fourth after UP, Maharashtra and West Bengal; Rajya Sabha: 16 seats.
- Patna High Court: 1916; it also covered Orissa until the Orissa High Court was set up in 1948.
- 91st Amendment (2003): ministers capped at 15 per cent of the Assembly, so at most 36 in Bihar.
- Bihar Panchayat Raj Act 2006: 50 per cent reservation for women in panchayats (first state) and the Gram Kachahari village court.
- 1956: Purulia and part of Purnea went from Bihar to West Bengal under the Bihar and West Bengal (Transfer of Territories) Act.
Quick revision
Bihar Diwas 22 March (1912); Orissa out 1 April 1936; Purulia to West Bengal 1956; Jharkhand 15 Nov 2000; Assembly 324 to 243 (38 SC, 2 ST), Lok Sabha 54 to 40 (6 SC), Rajya Sabha 22 to 16; Vidhan Parishad 75 (Article 171 limits); Patna High Court 1916; max 36 ministers (15 per cent, 91st Amendment); first CM Shri Krishna Sinha; Panchayat Raj Act 2006, 50 per cent women, Gram Kachahari; state bird house sparrow, tree peepal.