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{{Use Indian English|date=January 2026}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Infobox government cabinet
| cabinet_name = First Ministry of Prafulla Chandra Ghose
| cabinet_type = Ministry
| cabinet_number = 1st
| jurisdiction = [[West Bengal]]
| flag = Flag of India.svg
| flag_border =
| incumbent = 1947–1948
| image =
| caption =
| date_formed = {{Start date|1947|07|03|df=y}}
| date_dissolved = {{End date|1948|01|22|df=y}}

| governor = [[Chakravarti Rajagopalachari]]
| prime_minister = [[Prafulla Chandra Ghosh]]

| members_number = 9
| former_members_number = 4
| total_number = 13

| political_party = {{Color box|{{party color|Indian National Congress}}|border=darkgray}} [[Indian National Congress|INC]]

| legislature_status = [[Majority government|Majority]] {{Composition bar|83|90|{{party color|Indian National Congress}}|background-color=|border border-color=darkgray|width=|per=1}}

| opposition_cabinet =
| opposition_party =
| opposition_leader =

| election = [[1946 Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1946]]
| last_election = [[1937 Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1937]]
| legislature_term = [[1st West Bengal Assembly]]

| budget =
| advice_and_consent1 =
| advice_and_consent2 =

| incoming_formation =
| outgoing_formation =
| predecessor = [[Suhrawardy ministry]]
| successor = [[First Roy ministry]]
}}
The '''1st Council of Ministers for the state of West Bengal''' was formed under the leadership of [[Prafulla Chandra Ghosh]]. He was sworn in as [[Chief Minister of West Bengal|Prime Minister of West Bengal]] for the first time on 15 August 1947,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bengali.news18.com/photogallery/off-beat/knowledge-story-west-bengal-first-cm-prafulla-chandra-ghosh-general-knowledge-sb-1568641.html|title=Knowledge Story: বলুন তো, পশ্চিমবঙ্গের প্রথম মুখ্যমন্ত্রী কে ছিলেন? অধিকাংশ মানুষই কিন্তু ভুল জানেন, আপনি জানেন?|lang=bn|first=Suman|last=Biswas|date=21 March 2024|work=[[News18 Bangla]]}}</ref> although the cabinet was sworn in on 3 July 1947.<ref name=m/>

== Background ==
During 1940s, the [[Lahore Resolution|Pakistan Resolution]] of the [[All-India Muslim League]] (AIML) was gaining popularity among the Muslims of the [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal Province]] of British India, and the political party itself was growing in influence. The party won in the [[1946 Bengal Legislative Assembly election]], and on 24 April 1946, [[Suhrawardy ministry]] was formed under the leadership of [[Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy]], leader of the party's provincial branch.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=মুসলিম লীগ মন্ত্রিসভা ও সাম্প্রদায়িক রাজনীতি (১৯৪৩-১৯৪৭) : ১৩৫০-এর দুর্ভিক্ষ, ১৯৪৬-এর দাঙ্গা|title=বাংলার বিধানসভার একশো বছর রাজানুগত্য থেকে গণতন্ত্র|lang=bn|first=Satya Brata|last=Dutta|year=2002|pages=161–173|publisher=Progressive Publishers|place=Kolkata}}</ref> In 1947, the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) and the AIML agreed to the [[partition of India]], leading to the creation of the modern states of India and Pakistan. In 20 June of the same year, when an election was held regarding the [[Partition of Bengal (1947)|second partition of Bengal]], the majority of votes in the [[Bengal Legislative Assembly]] were in favor of the partition. However, at that time, Suhrawardy's cabinet remained in Calcutta, the capital of Bengal Province.<ref name=ম/> In 3 July, under the leadership of [[Prafulla Chandra Ghosh]], the leader of the provincial branch of the INC, a shadow cabinet was formed for the future state of [[West Bengal]].<ref name=ছ/> In 18 July, the [[Indian Independence Act 1947|Indian Independence Act]] was passed in the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] and received royal assent, clearing the way for the partition of Bengal Province into the Indian state of West Bengal and the Pakistani province of [[East Bengal]].<ref name=ম>{{cite book|chapter=অখণ্ড বাংলা গঠনের প্রয়াস ও উপমহাদেশের বিভক্তি, ১৯৪৭|title=স্বাধীন বাংলাদেশের অভ্যুদয়ের ইতিহাস|lang=bn|first1=Muntassir|last1=Mamun|first2=Md. Mahbubar|last2=Rahman|page=49–50|year=2015|orig-year=2014|publisher=Suborna|isbn=9789849069447}}</ref> On 15 August 1947, following [[India's independence]], the shadow cabinet of West Bengal became the state's first official government.<ref name=ছ>{{cite journal|title=Role of Dr. Prafulla Chandra Ghosh as Head of the Shadow Ministry and First Ministry of West Bengal (3rd July 1947 - 22nd January 1948) - An Analytical Review.|first=Babulal|last=Bala|volume=10|issue=3|journal=Journal of People's History and Culture|publisher=Garia Society for Studies of Marginal People|place=Kolkata|url=https://gsmp.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1-1.pdf}}</ref>

== Dissolution ==
In December 1947, members of the [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly]] expressed their no-confidence in him and signed a paper demanding [[Bidhan Chandra Roy]] as the new leader of the [[West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee|West Bengal Provincial Congress Party]], which was given to Ghosh by [[Ghanshyam Das Birla]]. After losing support, Ghosh stepped down as the leader of the Provincial Congress Party on 15 January 1948 and resigned from the post of prime minister six days later. Roy succeeded Ghosh as the new leader of the Provincial Congress Party and the new prime minister of West Bengal.<ref name=ছ/> On 23 January 1948, Ghosh's cabinet was replaced by [[First Roy ministry]].<ref>{{cite news|title=শুক্রবার প্রাতে পশ্চিম বঙ্গের নূতন মন্ত্রিমণ্ডলীর শপথ গ্রহণ|lang=bn|page=1|date=24 January 1948|newspaper=[[Jugantar Patrika]]}}</ref>

== Members ==
The cabinet was composed of the following ministers:<ref name=m>{{cite news|title=PORTFOLIOS OF NEW MINISTERS Dr. Ghosh As Chief Minister With Home|lang=en|page=1|date=4 July 1947|newspaper=[[Amrita Bazar Patrika]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite document|title=Bengal Legislative Assembly Proceedings (1947-48) Vol. 1|page=iii|publisher=West Bengal Government Press|place=Kolkata}}</ref>
{{Cabinet table start| hiderefcol = y | hidepartycol = y}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Office of the Prime Minister
| minister1 = [[Prafulla Chandra Ghosh]]
| minister1_termstart = 3 July 1947
| minister1_termend = 22 January 1948
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Finance, Health and Local Self-Government
| minister1 = [[Ananda Prasad Chowdhury]]
| minister1_termstart =
| minister1_termend = 22 January 1948
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Commerce, Labor and Education
| minister1 = [[Suresh Chandra Banerjee]]
| minister1_termstart = 3 July 1947
| minister1_termend = 22 January 1948
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Land and Revenue
| minister1 = [[Kalipada Mukherjee]]
| minister1_termstart = 3 July 1947
| minister1_termend = 22 January 1948
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Agriculture, Forest and Fisheries
| minister1 = [[Hem Chandra Naskar]]
| minister1_termstart = 3 July 1947
| minister1_termend = 22 January 1948
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Cooperatives, Loans and Relief
| minister1 = [[Kamal Krishna Roy]]
| minister1_termstart = 3 July 1947
| minister1_termend = 22 January 1948
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Irrigation, Works, Housing and Waterways
| minister1 = [[Bhupati Majumdar]]
| minister1_termstart =
| minister1_termend = 22 January 1948
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Civil Supplies
| minister1 = [[Charu Chandra Bhandari]]
| minister1_termstart =
| minister1_termend = 22 January 1948
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Justice and Law
| minister1 = [[Mohini Mohan Burman]]
| minister1_termstart = 3 July 1947
| minister1_termend = 22 January 1948
}}
{{Cabinet table end}}

== Former members ==
{{Cabinet table start| hiderefcol = n | hidepartycol = y}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Finance
| minister1 = [[Jadvendra Nath Panja]]
| minister1_termstart = 3 July 1947
| minister1_termend = N/A
| minister1_ref = <ref name=m/>
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Health
| minister1 = [[Bimal Chandra Sinha]]
| minister1_termstart = 4 July 1947
| minister1_termend = N/A
| minister1_ref = <ref name=m/>
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Civil Supplies
| minister1 = [[Radha Nath Das]]
| minister1_termstart = 3 July 1947
| minister1_termend = N/A
| minister1_ref = <ref name=m/>
}}
{{Cabinet table minister
| title = Department of Irrigation, Works, Housing and Waterways
| minister1 = [[Nikunja Behari Maity]]
| minister1_termstart = 3 July 1947
| minister1_termend = N/A
| minister1_ref = <ref name=m/>
}}
{{Cabinet table end}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghosh 01}}
[[Category:West Bengal ministries]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress of West Bengal]]
[[Category:1947 establishments in West Bengal]]
[[Category:1948 disestablishments in India]]
[[Category:Indian ministries established in 1947|Ghosh I]]
[[Category:Indian ministries disestablished in 1948|Ghosh I]]

First Ghosh ministry - Revision history

King42: started initial article and citations