Whether you are looking for the names, tenure, and other details of the former governors of West Bengal or the current one, you will find all the relevant information here. This post has a complete list of West Bengal governors, starting from 1947 to date.
Besides a comprehensive list of WB governors, the post also answers some of the most commonly asked questions. So, who is the first West Bengal governor? Who is the first woman to become the governor of WB? What is the current West Bengal governor’s name? How many governors have the state had since independence? Read on to learn the answers to all these frequently asked questions about the governors of West Bengal.
Read: Full List of West Bengal Ministers 2021 – Mamata 3.0 Cabinet Details
Governors Of West Bengal – An Overview
The first governor of West Bengal after India gained independence was Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari, popularly known as C. Rajagopalachari, C.R, or Rajaji. He was sworn in as the WB governor on 15 August 1947.
C. Rajagopalachari was succeeded by Kailash Nath Katju, who was the second West Bengal governor. Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who was the grandson of C. Rajagopalachari (maternal) and Mahatma Gandhi (paternal) also served as the governor of WB from 2004 to 2009.
Other notable names in the list of governors of West Bengal are H.C. Mookerjee, Padmaja Naidu, Shanti Swaroop Dhavan, A.L. Dias, Anant Prasad Sharma, Saiyid Nurul Hasan, K. V. Raghunatha Reddy, Viren J. Shah, M.K. Narayanan, and Keshari Nath Tripathi, among others.
The first and the only woman governor of WB is Padmaja Naidu, the daughter of Sarojini Naidu. With a tenure of over 10 years, she is also the longest-serving of all the governors of West Bengal.
From 1947 to date, West Bengal has had 28 governors including the 6 who served as acting governors or took up the additional charge of the state. Of these, Saiyid Nurul Hasan served the office twice. The current WB governor is Jagdeep Dhankhar. He took office on 30 July 2019.
Read: List Of RBI Governors – Reserve Bank Of India Governors From 1935 To Present
West Bengal Governors List
Check out the list of all governors of West Bengal, starting from C. Rajagopalachari to Jagdeep Dhankhar. The list also includes other useful information, such as their tenure, the names of the chief ministers during their tenure, and additional information and trivia.
Read: State – Wise List Of CM Helpline Numbers And Portals In India
| Sl. No | Governor | Tenure | Chief Minister | Additional Info/Trivia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari | 15 August 1947 to 21 June 1948 | Prafulla Chandra Ghosh Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy | The first governor of WB after India's independence |
| 2 | Kailash Nath Katju | 21 June 1948 to 1 November 1951 | Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy | He is the grandfather of Markandey Katju, former Supreme Court judge. |
| 3 | Harendra Coomar Mookerjee ( Died in office) | 1 November 1951 to 7 August 1956 | Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy | He died in office on 7 August 1956. He is the first WB governor to die in office. |
| 4 | Phani Bhusan Chakravartti (Acting) | 8 August 1956 to 3 November 1956 | Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy | Served as Acting Governor after the sudden demise of H.C.Mookerjee |
| 5 | Padmaja Naidu | 3 November 1956 to 1 June 1967 | Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy Prafulla Chandra Sen | The first and only woman governor of West Bengal. Also the longest-serving governor of the state. |
| 6 | Dharma Vira | 1 June 1967 to 1 April 1969 | Ajoy Mukherjee Prafulla Chandra Ghosh | He dismissed the United Front Government led by Ajoy Mukherjee and appointed Prafulla Chandra Ghosh. |
| 7 | Deep Narayan Sinha (Acting) | 1 April 1969 to 19 September 1969 | Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee | |
| 8 | Shanti Swaroop Dhavan | 19 September 1969 to 21 August 1971 | Shanti Swaroop Dhavan | He imposed two stints of President's Rule during his tenure. |
| 9 | Anthony Lancelot Dias | 21 August 1971 to 6 November 1979 | Siddhartha Shankar Ray Jyoti Basu | |
| 10 | Tribhuvan Narain Singh | 6 November 1977 to 12 September 1981 | Jyoti Basu | |
| 11 | Bhairab Dutt Pandey | 12 September 1981 to 10 October 1983 | Jyoti Basu | |
| 12 | Anant Prasad Sharma | 10 October 1983 to 16 August 1984 | Jyoti Basu | He relinquished his post on 16 August 1984. |
| 13 | Satish Chandra (Acting) | 16 August 1984 to 1 October 1984 | Jyoti Basu | He served as the Acting Governor after Anant Prasad Sharma relinquished the post. |
| 14 | Uma Shankar Dikshit | 1 October 1984 to 12 August 1986 | Jyoti Basu | |
| 15 | Saiyid Nurul Hasan (1st Time) | 12 August 1986 to 20 March 1989 | Jyoti Basu | He held office twice. |
| 16 | T. V. Rajeswar | 2 March 1989 to 7 February 1990 | Jyoti Basu | |
| 17 | Saiyid Nurul Hasan (2nd time) (Died in office) | 7 February 1990 to 12 July 1993 | Jyoti Basu | He died in office on 12 July 1993. He is the second WB governor to die in office. |
| 18 | B. Satya Narayan Reddy (Additional charge ) | 13 July 1993 to 14 August 1993 | Jyoti Basu | He took the additional charge of WB after the demise of Saiyid Nurul Hasan |
| 19 | K. V. Raghunatha Reddy | 14 August 1993 to 27 April 1998 | Jyoti Basu | |
| 20 | Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai | 27 April 1998 to 18 May 1999 | Jyoti Basu | |
| 21 | Shyamal Kumar Sen | 18 May 1999 to 4 December 1999 | Jyoti Basu | |
| 22 | Viren J. Shah | 4 December 1999 to 14 December 2004 | Jyoti Basu Buddhadeb Bhattacharya | He was also an industrialist and the chairman of Mukand Steel Limited. |
| 23 | Gopalkrishna Gandhi | 14 December 2004 to 14 December 2009 | Buddhadeb Bhattacharya | He is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari, the first governor of West Bengal. |
| 24 | Devanand Konwar (Additional charge) | 14 December 2009 to 23 January 2010 | Buddhadeb Bhattacharya | He was given the additional charge of West Bengal while he was serving as the governor of Bihar. |
| 25 | M.K. Narayanan | 24 January 2010 to 4 July 2014 | Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Mamata Banerjee | He resigned from the post on 30th June 2014 and officially left the office on 4 July 2014. |
| 26 | D. Y. Patil (Acting) | 4 July 2014 to 24 Jul 2014 | Mamata Banerjee | He was appointed as the Acting Governor after the resignation of M.K. Narayanan. |
| 27 | Keshari Nath Tripathi | 24 July 2014 to 30 July 2019 | Mamata Banerjee | |
| 28 | Jagdeep Dhankhar | 30 July 2019 till date | Mamata Banerjee | Current WB governor |
Source: Indian states after 1947 M-W (rulers.org) and Home: Raj Bhavan, West Bengal, India (rajbhavankolkata.gov.in)
Read: Complete List of West Bengal Chief Ministers from 1947 Till Date
FAQs On The Governors Of West Bengal
Who is the first West Bengal governor?
Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari aka C. Rajagopalachari was governor of WB after India’s independence. He took charge on 15 August 1947 and served the office till 21 June 1948
Who is the first woman governor of West Bengal?
Padmaja Naidu is the first woman to hold the office of the West Bengal governor. She is also the only woman governor of WB up to now. Padmaja Naidu was in office from 3 November 1956 to 1 June 1967.
Which West Bengal governor’s mother was also a governor?
Padmaja Naidu. She is the daughter of Sarojini Naidu, the renowned freedom fighter, poet, and the first woman to become the governor of an Indian state. Sworn in on 15 August 1947, Sarojini Naidu served as the first governor of Uttar Pradesh.
What is the name of the current West Bengal governor?
Jagdeep Dhankhar is the current WB governor. He has been serving the office since 30 July 2019.
How many governors have West Bengal had?
Since India gained independence in 1947, West Bengal has had a total of 28 governors. Of these, 6 were acting governors or handled the additional charge of the state.
Which of the governors of West Bengal served the office twice?
Saiyid Nurul Hasan is the only person to serve the office of the WB governor twice. His first tenure was from 12 August 1986 to 20 March 1989. He became the governor of WB for the second time in 1990 and held office from 7 February 1990 to 12 July 1993. He died in office on 12 July 1993.
How many West Bengal governors died in office?
Two governors of West Bengal died in office – Harendra Coomar Mookerjee and Saiyid Nurul Hasan.
Who is the longest-serving governor of West Bengal?
Padmaja Naidu is the longest-serving governor of West Bengal. She was in office for over 10 years, from 3 November 1956 to 1 June 1967.
Which of the governors of West Bengal was also the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi?
Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the 23rd governor of WB, was the paternal grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. His maternal grandfather was Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari, the first governor of West Bengal.
Which WB governor dismissed the Ajoy Mukherjee government?
Dharma Vira.
What is the official residence of the governor of West Bengal?
The official residence of the WB governor is Raj Bhavan, Kolkata. Click here to access the official website of Raj Bhavan.
Other Useful Information
