By : Neha Dhyani
Updated : Feb 24, 2023, 19:54
West Bengal CM list includes Mamata Banerjee, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Jyoti Basu, Siddharta Shankar Ray, Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee, Prafulla Chandra Ghosh, etc. The CM holds the de facto executive authority of the state and enforces state laws. The Governor appoints the Chief Minister of West Bengal under Article 164 of the Indian Constitution.
The partition of India in 1947 divided Bengal into two provinces- East Bengal (Pakistani Province) and West Bengal (Indian State). Since then, West Bengal has been ruled by eight Chief Ministers. We have shared the West Bengal CM list here with the names of all the previous CMs of the state.
Mamata Banerjee became the new CM of West Bengal 2021. She is also the first woman CM of the state and has been in power since 2011. Mamata Banerjee is politically associated with the All India Trinamool Congress and won the West Bengal election in 2011, 2016, and 2021. She succeeded Buddhadeb Bhattacharya as the chief minister of West Bengal in 2011.
As the CM, Mamata Banerjee has spent more than 11 years in the Chief Minister’s Office. However, it was Jyoti Basu who spent the longest term as CM of West Bengal, for a period of 23 years. Find out more about the CM of the state in the West Best CM list shared here.
State | West Bengal |
Incumbent West Bengal CM | Mamata Banerjee |
Reports to | Governor of West Bengal |
Tenure | 2011–2016; 2016–2021; 2021–present |
Duration | 11 years |
In 1947, West Bengal was divided into two parts and the Indian State of West Bengal was known as the Premier of West Bengal. Given below is the list of Chief Ministers of West Bengal from 1947 to 1950:
# | CM of West Bengal | Tenure | Party |
1. | Prafulla Chandra Ghosh | 15 August 1947 - 22 January 1948 | Indian National Congress (INC) |
2. | Bidhan Chandra Roy | 23 January 1948 - 25 January 1950 | Indian National Congress (INC) |
In 1950, the political situation became stable in Bengal, and the following people have ruled as the Chief Minister of West Bengal since then:
# | West Bengal CM | Tenure | Party |
1 | Bidhan Chandra Roy | 26 January 1950 - 1 July 1962 | Indian National Congress (INC) |
2 | Prafulla Chandra Sen | 9 July 1962 - 28 February 1967 | Indian National Congress (INC) |
3 | Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee | 1 March 1967 - 21 November 1967 | Bangla Congress (United Front) |
4 | Prafulla Chandra Ghosh | 21 November 1967-19 February 1968 | Independent (Progressive Democratic Front) |
President's Rule | 20 February 1968 -25 February 1969 | N/A | |
5 | Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee | 25 February 1969 - 16 March 1970 | Bangla Congress (United Front) |
President's Rule | 19 March 1970 - 2 April 1971 | N/A | |
6 | Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee | 2 April 1971-28 June 1971 | Bangla Congress (Democratic Coalition) |
President's Rule | 29 June 1971 - 20 March 1972 | N/A | |
7 | Siddhartha Shankar Ray | 20 March 1972 - 30 April 1977 | Indian National Congress (Progressive Democratic Alliance) |
President's Rule | 30 April 1977 - 20 June 1977 | N/A | |
8 | Jyoti Basu | 21 June 1977 - 5 November 2000 | Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
9 | Buddhadeb Bhattacharya | 6 November 2000 - 13 May 2011 | Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
10 | Mamata Banerjee | 20 May 2011 - Present | All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) |
After going through the West Bengal CM list, you would want to know more about the previous CMs of the state. Here, we have shared details about some of the most significant Chief Ministers of West Bengal:
The Chief Minister of West Bengal is Mamata Banerjee. She defeated the 34-year-old Left Front government in 2011 as a candidate for the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). Banerjee and the AITC have been in power in West Bengal since 2011, and Banerjee has served three terms as the West Bengal CM since then.
Prafulla Chandra Ghosh was the first Chief Minister of West Bengal. Ghosh was a renowned freedom fighter in India. He was made the West Bengal CM on 15 August 1947, the day when India officially gained independence, and served in office till 22 January 1948. He served the office as the CM of West Bengal for a period of 160 days.
Jyoti Basu was the longest-serving Chief Minister of West Bengal. Associated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Basu headed the state of West Bengal as CM for a period of 23 years. He started his tenure as West Bengal CM on 21 June 1977 and left office on 5 November 2000.
Mamata Banerjee is the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal. She is an influential figure in West Bengal politics and has been holding office since 20 May 2011. Before starting her tenure as the West Bengal CM, Banerjee held the position of the Minister of Railways, being the first woman in the position.
Since India’s independence, there have been eight different Chief Ministers of West Bengal. The names of the West Bengal CMs are Mamata Banerjee, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Jyoti Basu, Siddharta Shankar Ray, Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee, Prafulla Chandra Ghosh, Bidhan Chandra Roy, and Prafulla Chandra Sen.
Mamata Banerjee became the new CM of West Bengal 2021 after winning the 2021 West Bengal elections. She started her third term as West Bengal CM in 2021. Banerjee first became CM of the state in 2011 and has served 11 years in the Chief Minister’s Office since then.
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