| Prime Minister of Bengal | |
|---|---|
 Badge of Bengal | |
 Flag of British Bengal | |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Appointer | Governor of Bengal |
| Formation | 1 April 1937 |
| First holder | A. K. Fazlul Huq |
| Final holder | H. S. Suhrawardy |
| Abolished | 14 August 1947 |
| Succession | Chief Minister of West Bengal,India Chief Minister of East Bengal,Pakistan |
Theprime minister of Bengal was thehead of government ofBengal Province and the Leader of the House in theBengal Legislative Assembly inBritish India. The position was dissolved upon thePartition of Bengal during thepartition of India in 1947.
The office was created under theGovernment of India Act 1935, which granted Bengal abicameral legislature, including theBengal Legislative Council and theBengal Legislative Assembly. The prime minister was in charge of theexecutive branch.[1] The prime minister of Bengal played an important role in pan-Indian politics, including proclaiming theLahore Resolution and dealing with Japanese attacks duringWorld War II.
TheCongress party boycotted the office due to its anti-British policy. The office was held by three Muslims. The first premier was A. K. Fazlul Huq, the leader of the anti-feudalistKrishak Praja Party. Huq formed his first government with theAll India Muslim League in 1937. The League withdrew support in 1941, after which Huq forged a coalition with theHindu Mahasabha led bySyama Prasad Mukherjee. The Huq-Syama coalition lasted till 1943. Huq was succeeded by a Muslim League ministry led by Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin. A conservative figure, the Nazimuddin ministry lasted till 1945,[2][3] when governor's rule was imposed. The next election saw H. S. Suhrawardy lead the Muslim League to a majority. Suhrawardy sought anundivided Bengal with support from Hindu leaders and the British governor; but faced challenges like theNoakhali riots,Direct Action Day and the idea was also rejected by the All India Congress party who called for partitioning of Bengal.
.jpg)
| No | Name | Portrait | Tenure | Party (coalition partner) | Assembly | Appointed by (Governor) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office[4] | Term | ||||||
| 1 | Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq |  | 1 April 1937 | 1 December 1941 | 4 years, 244 days | Krishak Praja Party | 1st Assembly | Sir John Anderson |
| 12 December 1941 | 29 March 1943 | 1 year, 107 days | Krishak Praja Party | Sir John Arthur Herbert | ||||
| 2 | Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin |  | 29 April 1943 | 31 March 1945 | 1 year, 336 days | Muslim League | ||
| - | Vacant (Governor's rule) | .svg) | 1 April 1945 | 22 April 1946 | 1 year, 21 days | N/A | Dissolved | - |
| 3 | Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy |  | 23 April 1946 | 14 August 1947 | 1 year, 114 days | Muslim League | 2nd Assembly | Sir Frederick Burrows |
When Bengal was partitioned, the office was succeeded by thechief minister of West Bengal and thechief minister of East Bengal.[citation needed]
All three Bengali premiers moved to East Bengal, where they continued to be influential statesmen. Nazimuddin served as East Bengal's chief minister, and later became governor general and prime minister of Pakistan, Suhrawardy became aprime minister of Pakistan, while Huq served as East Bengal's chief minister, and later as East Pakistan's governor. The three premiers are considered the forerunners of politics in modernBangladesh.[citation needed]
The [Nazimuddin] ministry was unpopular ... No one was particularly sorry to see the League ministry fall.
On 1 December 1941 he resigned from the cabinet because of dissension between Huq and Jinnah. During the Shyama-Huq coalition (1942–1943) he acted as the Leader of the Opposition.