Bihar Legislature

{{short description|Bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Bihar}} {{More citations needed|date=November 2024}}

{{Infobox legislature | name = Bihar Legislature | native_name = Bihar Vidhan Mandal | coa_pic = Seal of Bihar.svg | coa_res = 150px | coa_caption = Emblem of Bihar | house_type = Bicameral | houses = Bihar Legislative Council (Upper house) Bihar Legislative Assembly (Lower house) | foundation = {{Start date and years ago|df=yes|p=y|1950|01|26}}

| leader1_type = Governor | leader1 = Syed Ata Hasnain | election1 = 2 January 2025

| leader2_type = Chairman of the Legislative Council | leader2 = Awadhesh Narain Singh | party2 = BJP | election2 = 20 June 2024

| leader3_type = Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council | leader3 = Prof. Ram Bachan Rai | party3 = JD(U) | election3 = 24 July 2024

| leader4_type = Speaker of the Legislative Assembly | leader4 = Dr. Prem Kumar | party4 = BJP | election4 = 2 December 2025

| leader5_type = Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly | leader5 = Narendra Narayan Yadav | party5 = JD(U) | election5 = 3 December 2025

| leader6_type = Leader of the House in the Legislature (Chief Minister) | leader6 = Samrat Choudhary | party6 = BJP | election6 = 30 March 2026

| leader7_type = Deputy Leader of the House in the Legislature (Deputy Chief Minister) | leader7 = Vijay Kumar Chaudhary Bijendra Prasad Yadav | party7 = JD(U) | election7 = 15 April 2026

| leader8_type = Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council | leader8 = Rabri Devi | party8 = RJD | election8 = 16 February 2024

| leader9_type = Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly | leader9 = Tejashwi Yadav | party9 = RJD | election9 = 17 November 2025

| seats = {{big|'''318'''}} {{bulleted list | '''75''' Members of Legislative Council | '''243''' Members of Bihar Legislative Assembly }}

| house1 = Bihar Legislative Council | house2 = Bihar Legislative Assembly

| structure1 = {{Switcher | 300px | By party | 300px | By alliance }} | structure1_res = 300px

| political_groups1 = '''Government (42)''' '''NDA (42)''' *{{Color box|#FF9933}} BJP (23) *{{Color box|#003366}} JD(U) (18) *{{Color box|#F5D62A}} HAM(S) (1)

'''Opposition (22)''' '''MGB (22)''' *{{Color box|#008000}} RJD (17) *{{Color box|#00BFFF}} INC (3) *{{Color box|#CB1717}} CPI(ML)L (1) *{{Color box|#F9001B}} CPI (1)

'''Others (8)''' *{{Color box|#B2B2B2}} IND (6) *{{Color box|#39833C}} RLJP (1) *{{Color box|#FFCD19}} JSP (1)

'''Vacant (3)''' *{{Color box|#FFFFFF}} Vacant (3)

| structure2 = {{Switcher | 300px | By party | 300px | By alliance }} | structure2_res = 300px

| political_groups2 = '''Government (202)''' :{{Color box|{{Party color|National Democratic Alliance}}}} NDA (202)

*{{Color box|{{Party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}}} BJP (89) *{{Color box|{{Party color|Janata Dal (United)}}}} JD(U) (85) *{{Color box|{{Party color|Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)}}}} LJP(RV) (19) *{{Color box|{{Party color|Hindustani Awam Morcha}}}} HAM(S) (5) *{{Color box|{{Party color|Rashtriya Lok Morcha}}}} RLM (4)

'''Official Opposition (35)''' :{{Color box|{{Party color|Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance}}}} I.N.D.I.A (35)

*{{Color box|{{Party color|Rashtriya Janata Dal}}}} RJD (25) *{{Color box|{{Party color|Indian National Congress}}}} INC (6) *{{Color box|{{Party color|Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation}}}} CPI(ML)L (2) *{{Color box|{{Party color|Indian Inclusive Party}}}} IIP (1) *{{Color box|{{Party color|Communist Party of India (Marxist)}}}} CPI(M) (1)

'''Others (6)''' *{{Color box|{{Party color|All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen}}}} AIMIM (5) *{{Color box|{{Party color|Bahujan Samaj Party}}}} BSP (1)

| voting_system1 = Single transferable vote | voting_system2 = First-past-the-post

| last_election1 = 2024 Bihar Legislative Council elections | last_election2 = 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election

| next_election2 = November 2030

| meeting_place = Bihar State Assembly, Patna, Bihar, India | session_room = Vidhan-sabha-bihar.jpg

| website = [https://www.biharvidhanparishad.gov.in Bihar Legislative Council] [https://vidhansabha.bihar.gov.in Bihar Legislative Assembly] }}

The '''Bihar Legislature''' (IAST: ''Bihar Vidhan Mandal'') is the supreme legislative body of the Indian state of Bihar. It is a bicameral legislature composed of two houses: the Bihar Legislative Council (Bihar Vidhan Parishad) and the Bihar Legislative Assembly (Bihar Vidhan Sabha).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bihar Legislature |url=https://www.cpahq.org/directory/bihar/ |access-date=22 November 2024 |website=Commonwealth Parliamentary Association}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Know Your State Bihar |date=2020 |publisher=Arihant Publication India Limited |isbn=9789313199755 |pages=225 |chapter=Chapter 18: Administrative Set-Up of Bihar |chapter-url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Know_Your_State_Bihar/0BrzDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA225}}</ref>

The Governor of Bihar, as the constitutional head of the legislature, has the authority to summon and prorogue either house of the legislature and to dissolve the Legislative Assembly. These powers are exercised on the advice of the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers.

Those elected or nominated to either house of the legislature are collectively referred to as members of the legislature. Members of the Bihar Legislative Assembly are known as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), while members of the Bihar Legislative Council are known as Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs).

Members of the Bihar Legislative Assembly are directly elected by the people of Bihar from single-member constituencies through the first-past-the-post system. Members of the Bihar Legislative Council are elected indirectly by elected representatives, teachers, graduates and local authorities through the system of proportional representation.

The Bihar Legislature has a sanctioned strength of 243 members in the Legislative Assembly and 75 members in the Legislative Council, including 12 members nominated by the governor from the fields of literature, art, science and social service. The legislature meets at the Bihar State Assembly complex in Patna.

==References== {{Reflist}} Category:Bihar Legislature Category:Bicameral legislatures of country subdivisions Legislature Category:State legislatures of India