Chief Ministers and Governors of Odisha: Complete List with Facts

Odisha has witnessed significant political evolution since becoming a separate province on April 1, 1936, with a rich legacy of leadership through both Chief Ministers and Governors of Odisha. The state’s administrative framework operates under a constitutional model where the Governor serves as the nominal head while the Chief Minister exercises executive authority as the head of the government. Since independence, Odisha has been governed by 15 Chief Ministers representing various political parties, with the position evolving from the pre-independence title of Prime Minister to the modern designation of Chief Minister.

First Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Odisha

Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo

When Odisha Province was formed on April 1, 1936, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo from Paralakhemundi became the first Prime Minister, serving until July 19, 1937. He held this position as an Independent leader under Governor Sir John Austen Hubback and returned for a second term from November 24, 1941, to June 30, 1944. His leadership marked the initial phase of Odisha’s administrative development during the colonial period.

Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab

Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab holds the distinction of being the first Chief Minister of Odisha in the post-independence constitutional framework, assuming office on April 23, 1946, as Prime Minister and continuing as Chief Minister from January 26, 1950. A freedom fighter, social reformer, and Gandhian, Mahatab is considered the architect of modern Odisha who shaped Odia identity and pride. He played a crucial role in integrating princely states with the Indian Union alongside Sardar Patel and brought significant development to Odisha, establishing ports and educational institutions. Mahatab served two separate terms totaling 4 years and 236 days, with his final tenure ending on February 25, 1961.

Prime Ministers of Orissa (1936-1950)

Each state had prime ministers till before Independence and Statehood.

Name	Constituency	Term Start	Term End	Duration	Party
Krushna Chandra Gajapati	Paralakhemundi	April 1, 1936	July 19, 1937	109 days	Independent
Bishwanath Das	Ghumsur	July 19, 1937	November 6, 1939	2 years, 110 days	INC
Krushna Chandra Gajapati	Paralakhemundi	November 24, 1941	June 30, 1944	2 years, 219 days	Independent
Harekrushna Mahatab	East Bhadrak	April 23, 1946	January 26, 1950	3 years, 278 days	INC

Source: Wikipedia

List of Chief Ministers and Governors of Odisha

The following table provides comprehensive information about all Chief Ministers who have governed Odisha from 1936 to 2026.

Chief Ministers of Odisha (1950-Present)

Name	Constituency	Tenure	Party
Harekrushna Mahatab	East Bhadrak	26 Jan 1950 – 12 May 1950 (106 days)	INC
Nabakrushna Choudhuri	Barchana	12 May 1950 – 19 Oct 1956 (6 years, 160 days)	INC
Harekrushna Mahatab	Soro	19 Oct 1956 – 25 Feb 1961 (4 years, 129 days)	INC
President’s Rule	N/A	25 Feb 1961 – 23 Jun 1961 (118 days)	N/A
Biju Patnaik	Choudwar	23 Jun 1961 – 2 Oct 1963 (2 years, 101 days)	INC
Biren Mitra	Cuttack City	2 Oct 1963 – 21 Feb 1965 (1 year, 142 days)	INC
Sadashiva Tripathy	Umerkote	21 Feb 1965 – 8 Mar 1967 (2 years, 15 days)	INC
R. N. Singh Deo	Bolangir	8 Mar 1967 – 9 Jan 1971 (3 years, 307 days)	Swatantra Party
President’s Rule	N/A	9 Jan 1971 – 3 Apr 1971 (84 days)	N/A
Bishwanath Das	Rourkela	3 Apr 1971 – 14 Jun 1972 (1 year, 72 days)	Independent
Nandini Satpathy	Cuttack City	14 Jun 1972 – 3 Mar 1973 (262 days)	INC
President’s Rule	N/A	3 Mar 1973 – 6 Mar 1974 (1 year, 3 days)	N/A
Nandini Satpathy	Dhenkanal	6 Mar 1974 – 16 Dec 1976 (2 years, 285 days)	INC
President’s Rule	N/A	16 Dec 1976 – 29 Dec 1976 (13 days)	N/A
Binayak Acharya	Berhampur	29 Dec 1976 – 30 Apr 1977 (122 days)	INC
President’s Rule	N/A	30 Apr 1977 – 26 Jun 1977 (57 days)	N/A
Nilamani Routray	Basudevpur	26 Jun 1977 – 17 Feb 1980 (2 years, 236 days)	Janata Party
President’s Rule	N/A	17 Feb 1980 – 9 Jun 1980 (113 days)	N/A
J. B. Patnaik	Athagarh	9 Jun 1980 – 7 Dec 1989 (9 years, 181 days)	INC
Hemananda Biswal	Laikera	7 Dec 1989 – 5 Mar 1990 (88 days)	INC
Biju Patnaik	Bhubaneswar	5 Mar 1990 – 15 Mar 1995 (5 years, 10 days)	Janata Dal
J. B. Patnaik	Begunia	15 Mar 1995 – 17 Feb 1999 (3 years, 339 days)	INC
Giridhar Gamang	Laxmipur	17 Feb 1999 – 6 Dec 1999 (292 days)	INC
Hemananda Biswal	Laikera	6 Dec 1999 – 5 Mar 2000 (90 days)	INC
Naveen Patnaik	Hinjili	5 Mar 2000 – 12 Jun 2024 (24 years, 99 days)	BJD
Mohan Charan Majhi	Keonjhar	12 Jun 2024 – Incumbent (1 year, 210 days*)	BJP

*Tenure noted as of 9 January 2026

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Chief Ministers and Governors of Odisha: Major Chief Ministers and Their Achievements

Naveen Patnaik (2000-2024)

Naveen Patnaik, founder and president of the Biju Janata Dal, served as Chief Minister of Odisha for 24 years and 99 days, making him the longest-serving Chief Minister in the state’s history. He was the first Chief Minister never associated with the Indian National Congress to hold the position. Under his leadership, the BJD created history by winning 766 out of 853 Zilla Parishad seats in the panchayat elections, marking the largest victory for any political party in India.

Patnaik’s government focused on women’s empowerment, pushing for significant legislative changes including 50% reservation for women in panchayati raj institutions. His administration maintained communal harmony across five terms, preventing large-scale riots and keeping communal hatred from dominating discourse in Odisha even as it spread in other parts of India. He once stated, “My every bone is secular,” demonstrating his commitment to religious harmony following the Kandhamal riot.

The BJD government under Patnaik named numerous schemes after his father Biju Patnaik and erected statues in his honor throughout the state. However, his tenure faced criticism for lacking a second line of leadership within the BJD after 27 years of party existence. Despite these critiques, his administration secured consistent electoral victories from 2000 through 2019 before losing to the BJP in 2024.

Biju Patnaik (1961-1963, 1990-1995)

Biju Patnaik, known as the architect of modern Odisha, served two separate terms totaling 7 years and 111 days. His first term began on June 23, 1961, representing Choudwar constituency under the Indian National Congress, ending on October 2, 1963. He returned to power on March 5, 1990, this time representing Bhubaneswar under the Janata Dal banner, serving until March 15, 1995.

Patnaik’s leadership laid the foundation for industrial development and infrastructure modernization in Odisha. His legacy proved so influential that his son Naveen Patnaik named the regional party Biju Janata Dal in his honor. The BJD government extensively celebrated his contributions by naming government schemes and public infrastructure after him.

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Janaki Ballabh Patnaik (1980-1989, 1995-1999)

Janaki Ballabh Patnaik ranks as the second longest-serving Chief Minister of Odisha with a total tenure of 13 years and 155 days across multiple terms. He first assumed office on June 9, 1980, representing Athagarh constituency and served continuously until December 7, 1989. He returned for another term from March 15, 1995, to February 17, 1999, representing Begunia constituency.

Throughout his tenure under the Indian National Congress, J.B. Patnaik focused on agricultural development and rural welfare programs. The Congress party claimed his legacy for years, recognizing his 13-year contribution to state governance. His administration bridged the gap between the leadership of Biju Patnaik and his son Naveen Patnaik.

Nabakrushna Choudhuri (1950-1956)

Nabakrushna Choudhuri served as Chief Minister for 6 years and 160 days from May 12, 1950, to October 19, 1956, representing Barchana constituency under the Indian National Congress. He took over from Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab and provided stable governance during the crucial early years of independent India. His tenure focused on consolidating administrative systems and establishing democratic institutions in post-independence Odisha.

Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo (1967-1971)

Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo holds the distinction of being the first non-Congress Chief Minister of Odisha, representing the Swatantra Party. He served from March 8, 1967, to January 9, 1971, for 3 years and 307 days, representing Bolangir constituency. His tenure marked a significant shift in Odisha’s political landscape, breaking the Congress party’s monopoly on state governance.

Nandini Satpathy (1972-1976)

Nandini Satpathy became the first woman Chief Minister of Odisha, serving two separate terms totaling 3 years and 182 days. Her first term lasted 262 days from June 14, 1972, to March 3, 1973, followed by a second term from March 6, 1974, to December 16, 1976. She represented Cuttack City and Dhenkanal constituencies under the Indian National Congress during her tenure.

Mohan Charan Majhi (2024-Present)

Mohan Charan Majhi became the current Chief Minister of Odisha on June 12, 2024, marking the first time the Bharatiya Janata Party formed a government in the state. A four-time MLA from Keonjhar constituency, Majhi won the 2024 assembly elections by defeating BJD’s Mina Majhi by 11,577 votes. He was sworn in along with two Deputy Chief Ministers, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, at Janata Maidan, Bhubaneswar, with Governor Raghubar Das administering the oath.

The BJP secured 78 seats out of 147 in the 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly election, ending Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year rule. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Chief Ministers of 10 BJP-ruled states attended the swearing-in ceremony. Majhi’s government is supported by 3 independent MLAs in the 17th Odisha Assembly.

Chief Ministers and Governors of Odisha: Complete List of Governors of Odisha

The Governor of Odisha serves as the constitutional head of state, representing the central government and acting as the first citizen of Odisha. The following chronological list details all Governors who have served since 1936.

First Governor of Odisha

Sir John Austen Hubback served as the first Governor of Odisha Province from April 1, 1936, to August 11, 1938. During the colonial period, British officials held the position with the title of Governor, overseeing the newly formed province. George Townsend Boag served as acting Governor from August 11, 1938, to December 7, 1938, followed by Hubback’s return until March 31, 1941.

Post-Independence Governors

Kailash Nath Katju became the first Governor of independent India’s Odisha state, serving from August 15, 1947, to June 20, 1948. He was followed by Asaf Ali, who served from June 21, 1948, to May 5, 1951, establishing the constitutional framework for the Governor’s role in the new republic.

Complete Chronological Table of Governors

Name	Origin	From	To	Tenure	Appointed By
Sir John Austen Hubback	United Kingdom	1 Apr 1936	11 Aug 1938	2y, 132d	Lord Willingdon
George Townsend Boag (Acting)	ICS	11 Aug 1938	7 Dec 1938	118d	Lord Linlithgow
Sir John Austen Hubback	United Kingdom	8 Dec 1938	31 Mar 1941	2y, 113d	Lord Linlithgow
Sir Hawthorne Lewis	ICS	1 Apr 1941	31 Mar 1946	4y, 364d	Lord Linlithgow
Chandulal Madhavlal Trivedi	Gujarat	1 Apr 1946	14 Aug 1947	1y, 135d	Lord Wavell
—	—	—	—	—	—
Kailash Nath Katju	Central Provinces	15 Aug 1947	20 Jun 1948	310d	Lord Mountbatten
Asaf Ali	United Provinces	21 Jun 1948	25 Jan 1950	1y, 218d	Lord Mountbatten
—	—	—	—	—	—
Asaf Ali	United Provinces	26 Jan 1950	5 May 1951	1y, 99d	Rajendra Prasad
V. P. Menon (Acting)	Madras State	6 May 1951	17 Jul 1951	72d	Rajendra Prasad
Asaf Ali	United Provinces	18 Jul 1951	6 Jun 1952	324d	Rajendra Prasad
Saiyid Fazl Ali	Bihar	7 Jun 1952	9 Feb 1954	1y, 247d	Rajendra Prasad
P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja	Madras State	10 Feb 1954	11 Sep 1956	2y, 214d	Rajendra Prasad
Bhim Sen Sachar	Punjab	12 Sep 1956	31 Jul 1957	322d	Rajendra Prasad
Y. N. Sukthankar	Bombay State	31 Jul 1957	15 Sep 1962	5y, 46d	Rajendra Prasad
Ajudhia Nath Khosla	Punjab	16 Sep 1962	5 Aug 1966	3y, 323d	S. Radhakrishnan
Khaleel Ahmed (Acting)	Bihar	5 Aug 1966	11 Sep 1966	37d	S. Radhakrishnan
Ajudhia Nath Khosla	Punjab	12 Sep 1966	30 Jan 1968	1y, 140d	S. Radhakrishnan
Shaukatullah Shah Ansari	Uttar Pradesh	31 Jan 1968	20 Sep 1971	3y, 232d	Zakir Husain
Sardar Jogendra Singh (Acting)	Uttar Pradesh	20 Sep 1971	30 Jun 1972	284d	V. V. Giri
Gati Krushna Misra (Acting)	Orissa	1 Jul 1972	8 Nov 1972	130d	V. V. Giri
B. D. Jatti	Karnataka	8 Nov 1972	20 Aug 1974	1y, 285d	V. V. Giri
Gati Krushna Misra (Acting)	Orissa	21 Aug 1974	25 Oct 1974	65d	V. V. Giri
Akbar Ali Khan	Andhra Pradesh	25 Oct 1974	17 Apr 1976	1y, 175d	F. Ali Ahmed
Siba Narain Sankar (Acting)	Delhi	17 Apr 1976	7 Feb 1977	296d	F. Ali Ahmed
Harcharan Singh Brar	Punjab	7 Feb 1977	22 Sep 1977	227d	F. Ali Ahmed
Bhagwat Dayal Sharma	Haryana	23 Sep 1977	30 Apr 1980	2y, 220d	N. Sanjiva Reddy
C. M. Poonacha	Karnataka	30 Apr 1980	30 Sep 1980	153d	N. Sanjiva Reddy
Sukanta Kishore Ray (Acting)	Orissa	1 Oct 1980	3 Nov 1980	33d	N. Sanjiva Reddy
C. M. Poonacha	Karnataka	4 Nov 1980	24 Jun 1982	1y, 232d	N. Sanjiva Reddy
Ranganath Misra (Acting)	Orissa	25 Jun 1982	31 Aug 1982	67d	N. Sanjiva Reddy
C. M. Poonacha	Karnataka	1 Sep 1982	17 Aug 1983	350d	Giani Zail Singh
Bishambhar Nath Pande	Uttar Pradesh	17 Aug 1983	20 Nov 1988	5y, 95d	Giani Zail Singh
Saiyid Nurul Hasan	Uttar Pradesh	20 Nov 1988	6 Feb 1990	1y, 78d	R. Venkataraman
Yagya Dutt Sharma	Punjab	7 Feb 1990	1 Feb 1993	2y, 360d	R. Venkataraman
Saiyid Nurul Hasan (Addl.)	Uttar Pradesh	1 Feb 1993	31 May 1993	119d	S. D. Sharma
B. Satya Narayan Reddy	Andhra Pradesh	1 Jun 1993	17 Jun 1995	2y, 16d	S. D. Sharma
Gopala Ramanujam	Tamil Nadu	18 Jun 1995	30 Jan 1997	1y, 226d	S. D. Sharma
K. V. Raghunatha Reddy (Addl.)	Andhra Pradesh	31 Jan 1997	12 Feb 1997	12d	S. D. Sharma
Gopala Ramanujam	Tamil Nadu	13 Feb 1997	13 Dec 1997	303d	S. D. Sharma
K. V. Raghunatha Reddy (Addl.)	Andhra Pradesh	13 Dec 1997	27 Apr 1998	135d	K. R. Narayanan
C. Rangarajan (Addl.)	Tamil Nadu	27 Apr 1998	14 Nov 1999	1y, 201d	K. R. Narayanan
M. M. Rajendran	Tamil Nadu	15 Nov 1999	17 Nov 2004	5y, 2d	K. R. Narayanan
Rameshwar Thakur	Jharkhand	18 Nov 2004	21 Aug 2007	2y, 276d	A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
M. C. Bhandare	Maharashtra	21 Aug 2007	20 Mar 2013	5y, 211d	Pratibha Patil
S. C. Jamir	Nagaland	21 Mar 2013	20 Mar 2018	4y, 364d	Pranab Mukherjee
Satya Pal Malik (Addl.)	Uttar Pradesh	21 Mar 2018	28 May 2018	68d	Ram Nath Kovind
Ganeshi Lal	Haryana	29 May 2018	30 Oct 2023	5y, 154d	Ram Nath Kovind
Raghubar Das	Jharkhand	31 Oct 2023	2 Jan 2025	1y, 63d	Droupadi Murmu
K. Hari Babu	Andhra Pradesh	3 Jan 2025	Incumbent	1y, 6d*	Droupadi Murmu

*Tenure as of 9 January 2026.

Current Governor

Kambhampati Hari Babu is the current and 35th Governor of Odisha, having assumed office on January 3, 2025. A seasoned politician and academic from Andhra Pradesh, he previously served as the Governor of Mizoram and was a Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) representing the Visakhapatnam constituency. Before his gubernatorial appointments, he held a doctorate in Electronics and Communications Engineering and served as a professor at Andhra University. He succeeded Raghubar Das in the Odisha Raj Bhavan.

Important Facts About the Chief Ministers and Governors of Odisha

Periods of President’s Rule

Odisha has experienced President’s Rule on five occasions when no party could form a stable government. The first instance occurred from February 25, 1961, to June 23, 1961, lasting 118 days during the transition after Harekrushna Mahatab’s government. Subsequent periods included January 9, 1971, to April 3, 1971 (84 days), March 3, 1973, to March 6, 1974 (1 year, 3 days), December 16, 1976, to December 29, 1976 (13 days), and April 30, 1977, to June 26, 1977 (57 days).

Longest and Shortest Serving Chief Ministers

Naveen Patnaik holds the record for the longest continuous tenure as Chief Minister, serving 24 years and 99 days from March 5, 2000, to June 12, 2024. In contrast, Hemananda Biswal served the shortest total tenure of 178 days across two separate terms in 1989-1990 and 1999-2000. Binayak Acharya’s single term of 122 days from December 29, 1976, to April 30, 1977, represents the briefest uninterrupted tenure.

Party-wise Distribution

The Indian National Congress dominated Odisha politics for most of the post-independence period, with Congress Chief Ministers serving a combined total exceeding 35 years. The Biju Janata Dal emerged as a major force under Naveen Patnaik’s leadership, governing for 24 consecutive years. The Bharatiya Janata Party formed its first government in 2024 under Mohan Charan Majhi.

Female Chief Minister

Nandini Satpathy remains the only woman to have served as Chief Minister of Odisha, holding office during two separate terms in the 1970s. Her tenure represented a significant milestone in the state’s political history, demonstrating women’s participation in top leadership positions.

Chief Ministers and Governors of Odisha: FAQs