List Of All Prime Minister Of India – India’s head of state is the President, whose powers are largely nominal and ceremonial. Effective executive power rests with the Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister, who is chosen by the party or coalition with a majority in the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) and formally appointed by the President. This is a list of prime ministers in chronological order, from the earliest to the most recent.
List Of All Prime Minister Of India (All Prime Minister List Of India)
India has had 16 prime ministers since 1947, beginning with Jawaharlal Nehru. Notably, Indira Gandhi was the first female prime minister, and the Nehru-Gandhi family has held the position for nearly 38 years. Various political parties have held power, with leaders such as Morarji Desai, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Manmohan Singh shaping India’s political landscape. Narendra Modi of the BJP has served as Prime Minister since 2014, winning consecutive terms in 2019 and 2024, becoming the second person to do so after Nehru. The list of all Prime Ministers is as follows –
- Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–64)
- Gulzarilal Nanda (1964; 1st time)
- Lal Bahadur Shastri (1964–66)
- Gulzarilal Nanda (1966; 2nd time)
- Indira Gandhi (1966–77; 1st time)
- Morarji Desai (1977–79)
- Charan Singh (1979–80)
- Indira Gandhi (1980–84; 2nd time)
- Rajiv Gandhi (1984–89)
- V.P. Singh (1989–90)
- Chandra Shekhar (1990–91)
- P.V. Narasimha Rao (1991–96)
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1996; 1st time)
- H.D. Deve Gowda (1996–97)
- Inder K. Gujral (1997–98)
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998–2004; 2nd time)
- Manmohan Singh (2004–14)
- Narendra Modi (2014– )
Shri Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Nehru served as the Prime Minister for 17 years from 1947 to 1964. He is considered one of the founders of modern India as he helped the country enter an era of industrial and technological development. His birth anniversary is celebrated as Children’s Day across India.
Shri Gulzarilal Nanda
Shri Gulzarilal Nanda was the second Prime Minister of India and served the country for two brief tenures. He played a key role in organizing the Indian National Trade Union Congress. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1997.
Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri
Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri was appointed the third Prime Minister of India. As Prime Minister, he promoted the White and Green Revolution and coined the popular slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’. He also led India to victory in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
Mrs. Indira Gandhi
Mrs. Indira Gandhi served the country for two terms as the first woman Prime Minister of India. During her tenure, our India won the 1971 war against Pakistan. This victory resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. Emergency was also imposed from 1975 to 1977.
Mr. Morarji Desai
Mr. Morarji Desai was the Prime Minister of India for 2 years from 1977 to 1979. The 44th Amendment to the Constitution of India was enacted during Mr. Morarji Desai’s tenure as Prime Minister. Mr. Morarji Desai died in Mumbai at the age of 99, making him the oldest former head of government in the world.
Choudhary Charan Singh
Choudhary Charan Singh was the Prime Minister of India for 170 days. Throughout his life, he tried to improve the condition of farmers. His birth anniversary, 23 December, is celebrated as Kisan Diwas.
Shri Rajiv Gandhi
Shri Rajiv Gandhi became the youngest Prime Minister of the country, serving a single term from 1984 to 1989. During his tenure, he promoted science and technology and related industries and ushered in a new era of higher education reforms in the country.
Shri V. P. Singh
Shri Vishwanath Pratap Singh served as the Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990. The Mandal Commission report was implemented and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act 1989 was passed during his tenure.
Shri Chandrasekhar
Shri Chandrasekhar became the first Prime Minister of India to lead a coalition government at the Centre. He played a key role in preventing India from defaulting on sovereign repayments. Known for his fiery spirit, Shri Chandrasekhar was often referred to as a “Young Turk”.
Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao
Shri Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao served as the Prime Minister of India for one term from 1991 to 1996. During his tenure, Narasimha Rao carried out economic reforms in the form of liberalization and globalization.
Shri H. D. Deve Gowda
Shri Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda was the Prime Minister of India for less than a year. He focused on the farmers of the country and is also credited with starting the Delhi Metro project. He is popularly called ‘Bhumiputra’ for his contribution to agriculture.
Shri Inder Kumar Gujral
Shri Inder Kumar Gujral became the Prime Minister for less than a year. He worked in different positions with different ministries before becoming the Prime Minister of India. He is known for the Gujral Doctrine, which has been considered a milestone in India’s foreign policy.
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India for 13 days in 1996 and completed two incomplete terms from 1998 to 2004. Shri Atal is known for his valuable contribution to the economic growth of India. Operation Vijay, which is known as the Kargil War, was fought against Pakistan. Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee made the country a nuclear weapon power.
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Dr. Manmohan Singh has served as the Prime Minister of the country from 2004 to 2014, the Right to Information Act along with the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) were passed during Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister. Dr. Manmohan Singh is credited with efficiently implementing economic reforms in the country. He is also known for signing the nuclear civil agreement with the United States.
Shri Narendra Modi
Shri Narendra Modi is the current and fourth longest serving Prime Minister of India. He served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for 14 years and was praised for bringing economic growth and establishing advanced infrastructure in the state, among other major developments. As the Prime Minister of India, he is known for several campaigns such as Swachh Bharat, Make in India, Digital India, among others. Apart from his many awards, he is also famous for being the first Indian to win the Seoul Peace Prize in 2018.
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