In 1756, Bihar was part of the
Bengal Subah and while Orissa was part of the
Nagpur kingdom within the
Maratha Confederacy. The
Treaty of Allahabad was signed on 16 August 1765, between the Mughal Emperor
Shah Alam II, son of the late Emperor
Alamgir II, and Robert, Lord Clive, of the East India Company, A number of
princely states, including the
Orissa Tributary States, were under the authority of the provincial governor.
Dyarchy (1921–1937) The
Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms enacted through the
Government of India Act 1919 expanded the Bihar & Orissa Legislative Council from 43 to 103 members. The Legislative Council now consisted of 2 ex-officio Executive Councillors, 25 nominated members (12 official, 13 non-official) and 76 elected members (48 Non-Muslim, 18 Muslim, 1 European, 3 Commerce & Industry, 5 Landholders and 1 University constituencies). The reforms also introduced the principle of
dyarchy, whereby certain responsibilities such as agriculture, health, education, and local government, were transferred to elected ministers.
Division On 1 April 1936, the province was divided into
Bihar Province (which included present-day
Bihar and
Jharkhand states) and
Orissa Province, and the
Odia speaking princely states placed under the authority of the
Eastern States Agency. ==Governors of Bihar and Orissa==