The position of the governor of Chhattisgarh came into existence following the creation of the state in November 2000 as a result of the bifurcation of Madhya Pradesh.

The inaugural governor of Chhattisgarh was retired Indian Police Service officer and former Bihar DGP Dinesh Nandan Sahay who served in office since the state's creation in November 2000 until he swapped positions with then Governor of Tripura Lieutenant General Krishna Mohan Seth (retired) in June 2003.

Seth served in office until retiring in January 2007 and was succeeded by former Intelligence Bureau director E. S. L. Narasimhan.

Following the transfer of Narasimhan, former Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt was appointed as the governor and he remained in office until resigning in June 2014.

He was relieved of the additional duties following the appointment of Balram Das Tandon the following month.