In 1936, Odisha became a separate state, separating certain portions of Bihar and Madras provinces, whose first Legislative Elections were held in 1952, and Harekrushna Mahatab became the First Chief Minister of the state, elected by the Province in 1946. Mohan Charan Maiji is the Current Chief Minister of Odisha, a prominent leader of Bharatiya Janata Party, establishing their government for the first time since its formation.
Chief Ministers of Odisha
Since its formation in 1946, Odisha has had 19 Chief Ministers. Naveen Patnaik, a prominent leader of the Biju Janata Dal, served as the 14th Chief Minister from 2000 to 2024, making him the longest-serving Chief Minister of Odisha. In the Assembly Elections 2024, the Bharatiya Janata Party won with a majority, and Mohan Charan Majhi became the Current Chief Minister of the state. Odisha has been placed under President’s Rule six times within a relatively short span of time.
List of Chief Ministers of Odisha from 1946 to 2025
Odisha has been administered by prominent leaders from various parties such as the Biju Janata Dal, Bharatiya Janata Party, and Indian National Congress. Below we have shared a complete List of Chief Ministers of Odisha from 1946 to 2025, including their tenure, constituency, party, and associated constituencies.
| List of Chief Ministers of Odisha from 1946 to 2025 | |||||||
| No. | Name | Constituency | Term Start | Term End | Tenure Duration | Assembly | Party |
| 1 | Harekrushna Mahatab | East Bhadrak | 23 Apr 1946 | 12 May 1950 | 4 years, 19 days | Provincial (1946) | Indian National Congress |
| 2 | Nabakrushna Choudhuri | Barchana | 12 May 1950 | 19 Oct 1956 | 6 years, 5 months, 7 days | 1st (1952) | Indian National Congress |
| 3 | Harekrushna Mahatab | Soro | 19 Oct 1956 | 25 Feb 1961 | 4 years, 4 months, 6 days | 2nd (1957) | Indian National Congress |
| — | President’s Rule | N/A | 25 Feb 1961 | 23 Jun 1961 | 3 months, 27 days | N/A | N/A |
| 4 | Biju Patnaik | Choudwar | 23 Jun 1961 | 2 Oct 1963 | 2 years, 3 months, 9 days | 3rd (1961) | Indian National Congress |
| 5 | Biren Mitra | Cuttack City | 2 Oct 1963 | 21 Feb 1965 | 1 year, 4 months, 19 days | 3rd (1961) | Indian National Congress |
| 6 | Sadashiva Tripathy | Omerkote | 21 Feb 1965 | 8 Mar 1967 | 2 years, 15 days | 3rd (1961) | Indian National Congress |
| 7 | Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo | Bolangir | 8 Mar 1967 | 9 Jan 1971 | 3 years, 10 months, 1 day | 4th (1967) | Swatantra Party |
| — | President’s Rule | N/A | 11 Jan 1971 | 3 Apr 1971 | 2 months, 23 days | N/A | N/A |
| 8 | Bishwanath Das | Rourkela | 3 Apr 1971 | 14 Jun 1972 | 1 year, 2 months, 11 days | 5th (1971) | Independent |
| 9 | Nandini Satpathy | Cuttack | 14 Jun 1972 | 3 Mar 1973 | 8 months, 17 days | 5th (1971) | Indian National Congress |
| — | President’s Rule | N/A | 3 Mar 1973 | 6 Mar 1974 | 1 year, 3 days | N/A | N/A |
| Nandini Satpathy | Dhenkanal | 6 Mar 1974 | 16 Dec 1976 | 2 years, 9 months, 10 days | 6th (1974) | Indian National Congress | |
| — | President’s Rule | N/A | 16 Dec 1976 | 29 Dec 1976 | 13 days | N/A | N/A |
| 10 | Binayak Acharya | Berhampur | 29 Dec 1976 | 30 Apr 1977 | 4 months, 1 day | 6th (1974) | Indian National Congress |
| — | President’s Rule | N/A | 30 Apr 1977 | 26 Jun 1977 | 1 month, 27 days | N/A | N/A |
| 11 | Nilamani Routray | Basudevpur | 26 Jun 1977 | 17 Feb 1980 | 2 years, 7 months, 22 days | 7th (1977) | Janata Party |
| — | President’s Rule | N/A | 17 Feb 1980 | 9 Jun 1980 | 3 months, 22 days | N/A | N/A |
| 12 | Janaki Ballabh Patnaik | Athagarh | 9 Jun 1980 | 7 Dec 1989 | 9 years, 5 months, 28 days | 8th, 9th | Indian National Congress |
| 13 | Hemananda Biswal | Laikera | 7 Dec 1989 | 5 Mar 1990 | 2 months, 27 days | 9th | Indian National Congress |
| 14 | Biju Patnaik | Bhubaneswar | 5 Mar 1990 | 15 Mar 1995 | 5 years, 10 days | 10th | Janata Dal |
| 15 | Janaki Ballabh Patnaik | Begunia | 15 Mar 1995 | 17 Feb 1999 | 3 years, 11 months, 2 days | 11th | Indian National Congress |
| 16 | Giridhar Gamang | Laxmipur | 17 Feb 1999 | 6 Dec 1999 | 9 months, 19 days | 11th | Indian National Congress |
| 17 | Hemananda Biswal | Laikera | 6 Dec 1999 | 5 Mar 2000 | 2 months, 28 days | 11th | Indian National Congress |
| 18 | Naveen Patnaik | Hinjili | 5 Mar 2000 | 11 Jun 2024 | 24 years, 3 months, 6 days | 12th to 16th | Biju Janata Dal |
Also Read: Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh
First Chief Minister of Odisha
Harekrushna Mahatab was the First Chief Minister of Odisha, serving from 1946 to 1950, and later again from 1956 to 1961. He actively participated in the non-cooperation and civil disobedience movements and founded the Odia weekly Prajatantra, which later became a daily newspaper. Apart from politics, he was also a well-known writer, and he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983 for his autobiography “Gaon Majli”.
Current Chief Minister of Odisha
Mohan Charan Majhi is the Current Chief Minister of Odisha. Majhi assumed office on June 12, 2024, and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) representing the Keonjhar constituency in the Odisha Legislative Assembly. He is the First Chief Minister of Odisha to represent the Santal tribal community.
Longest-Serving Chief Minister of Odisha
Naveen Patnaik is the longest-serving Chief Minister of Odisha, and he has served in the office for a remarkable time period of 24 years from March 5, 2000, till June 12, 2024. His tenure is also appreciated for being the second-longest for any Chief Minister in India. He also founded the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in December 1997 and led it to victory in the Odisha Legislative Assembly elections in 2000.
First Women Chief Minister of Odisha
Nandini Satpathy, also known as the ”Iron Lady of Odisha” served as the First woman Chief Minister of Odisha. She held the office from June 1972 to December 1976. She was actively involved in the Indian freedom movement and pursued a career in politics, becoming a member of the Rajya Sabha at the age of 31, serving as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet.
Chief Minister of Odisha FAQs
Q1. Has Odisha ever been under President's Rule?+
Q2. Which political party ruled Odisha the longest?+
Q3. Who is the current Chief Minister of Odisha?+
Q4. Who was the first woman Chief Minister of Odisha?+
Q5. How many Chief Ministers has Odisha had till 2025?+
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