Governors of Jharkhand

The Governor of Jharkhand serves as the nominal head of the state of Jharkhand in India. Appointed by the President of India, the Governor acts as the constitutional authority in whose name all official affairs of the state are conducted. However, the actual executive power is exercised by the Chief Minister, who is a member of the Legislative Assembly and leads the majority party in the House.

The official residence of the Governor is Lok Bhavan in Ranchi. In addition, Lok Bhavan in Dumka serves as a secondary residence and is used during occasional visits to the region.

The office of the Governor of Jharkhand was established in November 2000 following the creation of the state through the bifurcation of Bihar. Prabhat Kumar was appointed as the first Governor of Jharkhand and served in the position from 2000 to 2002.

The Governor of Jharkhand exercises a range of constitutional powers and functions. These include executive powers relating to the administration of the state, as well as the appointment and removal of key officials. The Governor also possesses legislative powers connected with the functioning of the state legislature, including the Vidhan Sabha and, where applicable, the Vidhan Parishad. In addition, the office carries certain discretionary powers, which are exercised at the Governor's discretion in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

In addition to exercising various constitutional powers, the Governor of Jharkhand serves as the ex officio Chancellor of the state's public universities. In this capacity, the Governor oversees institutions such as Binod Bihari Mahto Koyalanchal University, Birsa Agricultural University, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, Jharkhand Raksha Shakti University, Jharkhand University of Technology, Kolhan University, Nilamber-Pitamber University, Ranchi University, Sido Kanhu Murmu University, and Vinoba Bhave University.

The following is a list of the Governors of Jharkhand since the state's formation on 15 November 2000. Since its inception, ten individuals have been appointed to the office of Governor. Prabhat Kumar was the first Governor of Jharkhand, serving from 2000 to 2002. Droupadi Murmu became the first woman to hold the office and remains the state's longest-serving Governor, having served from 2015 to 2021. 

·       Prabhat Kumar: 15 November 2000 to 3 February 2002

·       Vinod Chandra Pande: 4 February 2002 to 14 July 2002

·       Mandagadde Rama Jois: 15 July 2002 to 11 June 2003

·       Ved Marwah: 12 June 2003 to 9 December 2004

·       Syed Sibtey Razi: 10 December 2004 to 25 July 2009

·       Kateekal Sankaranarayanan: 26 July 2009 to 21 January 2010

·       M. O. H. Farook: 22 January 2010 to 4 September 2011

·       Syed Ahmed: 4 September 2011 to 17 May 2015

·       Droupadi Murmu: 18 May 2015 to 13 July 2021

·       Ramesh Bais: 14 July 2021 to 17 February 2023

·       C. P. Radhakrishnan: 18 February 2023 to 30 July 2024

·       Santosh Kumar Gangwar: 31 July 2024 (Incumbent)