Part VIII — Polity and Administration
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Chapter 8: Government Structure, the Legislature, Judiciary, and Panchayati Raj
8.1 The Governor and Chief Minister
The Governor is the constitutional/ceremonial head of state, appointed by the President of India, typically for a five-year term (subject to the President's pleasure). The Chief Minister, as head of government, is appointed from the party/coalition commanding a majority in the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly), and governs with the aid of a Council of Ministers collectively responsible to the Assembly. (See Chapter 1 for current officeholders.)
8.2 The Bihar Legislature — A Bicameral State Legislature
Bihar is one of only a handful of Indian states (alongside Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana) to retain a bicameral legislature, comprising:
The Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) — the directly elected lower house, with 243 seats, members elected for a five-year term via universal adult suffrage from single-member constituencies.
The Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) — the upper house, a permanent body (not subject to dissolution) whose members serve six-year terms, with one-third retiring every two years. Vidhan Parishad members are elected/nominated through varied methods: election by MLAs, election from local bodies' representatives, election from registered graduates (Graduates' Constituency), election from teachers (Teachers' Constituency), and nomination by the Governor for persons distinguished in literature, science, art, cooperative movement, and social service.
8.3 Bihar's Representation in Parliament
Bihar sends 40 members to the Lok Sabha (the second-highest number after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra) and 16 members to the Rajya Sabha, reflecting its status as India's third most populous state.
8.4 The Judiciary
The Patna High Court, established in 1916, is one of India's oldest High Courts and has jurisdiction over the entire state of Bihar. It is headed by a Chief Justice, whose identity should be verified against the current notification, as this post rotates more frequently through transfers than the Governor or Chief Minister's office. Below the High Court, Bihar's judicial structure follows the standard Indian pattern of District and Sessions Courts, subordinate civil and criminal courts, and specialised tribunals.
8.5 Panchayati Raj — Local Self-Government
Bihar implements a three-tier Panchayati Raj system, in line with the 73rd Constitutional Amendment (1992), comprising: the Gram Panchayat at the village level, the Panchayat Samiti at the block/intermediate level, and the Zila Parishad at the district level. Bihar has been particularly notable for its 50% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions, implemented well ahead of many other states and widely cited as a significant grassroots gender-representation reform, alongside reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes at each tier.
Urban local self-government in Bihar follows the parallel structure mandated by the 74th Constitutional Amendment: Municipal Corporations in major cities (such as the Patna Municipal Corporation), Municipal Councils in mid-sized towns, and Nagar Panchayats in smaller urban settlements.
8.6 District Administration
Each of Bihar's 38 districts is headed by a District Magistrate/Collector (DM), responsible for general administration, law and order coordination (alongside the Superintendent of Police), and revenue functions, with districts further subdivided into sub-divisions (each headed by a Sub-Divisional Officer/Sub-Divisional Magistrate) and blocks (each headed by a Block Development Officer, responsible for implementing rural development schemes at the grassroots level).
8.7 Practice Set — Polity and Administration (25 MCQs)
- Bihar's Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) has how many seats?
(a) 234 (b) 243 (c) 250 (d) 200 - Members of the Vidhan Sabha are elected for a term of:
(a) Four years (b) Five years (c) Six years (d) Three years - Bihar's Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) is:
(a) Subject to dissolution like the Assembly (b) A permanent body not subject to dissolution (c) Purely nominated by the Prime Minister (d) Abolished as of 2020 - Vidhan Parishad members serve terms of:
(a) Five years (b) Six years, with one-third retiring every two years (c) Life terms (d) Two years - Which of the following is NOT a method by which Vidhan Parishad members are chosen?
(a) Election by MLAs (b) Election from Graduates' and Teachers' Constituencies (c) Nomination by the Governor (d) Direct election by universal adult suffrage, identical to the Assembly - How many members does Bihar send to the Lok Sabha?
(a) 30 (b) 40 (c) 50 (d) 25 - How many members does Bihar send to the Rajya Sabha?
(a) 10 (b) 16 (c) 20 (d) 12 - Patna High Court was established in:
(a) 1862 (b) 1916 (c) 1935 (d) 1950 - Which of the following states does NOT have a bicameral legislature?
(a) Bihar (b) Uttar Pradesh (c) Rajasthan (d) Karnataka - Bihar's Panchayati Raj system, per the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, has how many tiers?
(a) Two (b) Three (c) Four (d) One - The three tiers of Bihar's Panchayati Raj system are the Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, and:
(a) Zila Parishad (b) Nagar Palika (c) Municipal Corporation (d) District Collectorate - Bihar has been particularly notable for implementing what percentage of reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions?
(a) 33% (b) 50% (c) 25% (d) 40% - The 74th Constitutional Amendment relates primarily to:
(a) Panchayati Raj (rural local government) (b) Urban local self-government (c) Judicial appointments (d) Election Commission powers - Each Bihar district is headed for general administration by the:
(a) Superintendent of Police (b) District Magistrate/Collector (c) Divisional Commissioner exclusively (d) Chief Justice - Law and order coordination at the district level, alongside the DM, is the responsibility of the:
(a) Block Development Officer (b) Superintendent of Police (c) Sub-Divisional Officer (d) Zila Parishad Chairperson - A Block Development Officer (BDO) is primarily responsible for:
(a) Judicial appeals (b) Implementing rural development schemes at the grassroots block level (c) State-level legislation (d) Foreign policy coordination - The Governor of a state is appointed by:
(a) The Chief Minister (b) The President of India (c) The Prime Minister (d) The Chief Justice of India - The Chief Minister is appointed from:
(a) Any party regardless of Assembly strength (b) The party/coalition commanding a majority in the Vidhan Sabha (c) The Rajya Sabha exclusively (d) A pool of retired civil servants - Urban local self-government in major Bihar cities like Patna takes the form of a:
(a) Zila Parishad (b) Municipal Corporation (c) Gram Panchayat (d) Panchayat Samiti - Smaller urban settlements in Bihar are governed by:
(a) Nagar Panchayats (b) Zila Parishads exclusively (c) Gram Sabhas exclusively (d) Cantonment Boards exclusively - The identity of the current Chief Justice of Patna High Court should be verified against the exam notification because:
(a) The post has been permanently vacant since 2000 (b) This post rotates more frequently through transfers than the Governor's or CM's office (c) It never changes (d) It is not a real constitutional post - Council of Ministers in a state is collectively responsible to:
(a) The Governor alone (b) The Vidhan Sabha (c) The Vidhan Parishad alone (d) The Rajya Sabha - Bihar's Panchayati Raj reservation structure, besides women, also includes reservations for:
(a) Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes (b) Only Scheduled Castes (c) Only religious minorities (d) No other reservations exist - A Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO/SDM) operates at which administrative tier, between the district and block levels?
(a) State level (b) Sub-division level (c) National level (d) Village level - Bihar's rank among Indian states by Lok Sabha seat count is:
(a) Highest (b) Second or third highest, after Uttar Pradesh (and comparable to Maharashtra) (c) Lowest (d) Not applicable, as Bihar has no Lok Sabha seats
Answer Key
1.(b)
2.(b)
3.(b)
4.(b)
5.(d)
6.(b)
7.(b)
8.(b)
9.(c)
10.(b)
11.(a)
12.(b)
13.(b)
14.(b)
15.(b)
16.(b)
17.(b)
18.(b)
19.(b)
20.(a)
21.(b)
22.(b)
23.(a)
24.(b) 25.(b)