India has had 15 Prime Ministers since its independence in 1947. Here is the complete list of Indian Prime Ministers in chronological order:
—
1. Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–1964)
– Party: Indian National Congress (INC)
– Tenure: 15 August 1947 – 27 May 1964
– Key Contributions: First Prime Minister of India, played a key role in shaping modern India, advocated for secularism, socialism, and non-alignment.
—
2. Gulzarilal Nanda (Interim) (1964, 1966)
– Party: Indian National Congress (INC)
– Tenure:
– First term: 27 May 1964 – 9 June 1964 (after Nehru’s death)
– Second term: 11 January 1966 – 24 January 1966 (after Shastri’s death)
– Key Contributions: Served as interim Prime Minister twice.
—
3. Lal Bahadur Shastri (1964–1966)
– Party: Indian National Congress (INC)
– Tenure: 9 June 1964 – 11 January 1966
– Key Contributions: Led India during the 1965 Indo-Pak War, coined the slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”.
—
4. Indira Gandhi (1966–1977, 1980–1984)
– Party: Indian National Congress (INC)
– Tenure:
– First term: 24 January 1966 – 24 March 1977
– Second term: 14 January 1980 – 31 October 1984
– Key Contributions: First female Prime Minister of India, led during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, implemented the Green Revolution, and declared the Emergency (1975–1977).
—
5. Morarji Desai (1977–1979)
– Party: Janata Party
– Tenure: 24 March 1977 – 28 July 1979
– Key Contributions: First non-Congress Prime Minister, promoted austerity and anti-corruption.
—
6. Charan Singh (1979–1980)
– Party: Janata Party (Secular)
– Tenure: 28 July 1979 – 14 January 1980
– Key Contributions: Advocated for farmers’ rights, but his government fell before facing a confidence vote.
—
7. Rajiv Gandhi (1984–1989)
– Party: Indian National Congress (INC)
– Tenure: 31 October 1984 – 2 December 1989
– Key Contributions: Youngest Prime Minister, focused on technology and modernization, faced challenges like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and Sri Lankan Civil War.
—
8. Vishwanath Pratap Singh (1989–1990)
– Party: Janata Dal (National Front)
– Tenure: 2 December 1989 – 10 November 1990
– Key Contributions: Implemented the Mandal Commission recommendations for OBC reservations.
—
9. Chandra Shekhar (1990–1991)
– Party: Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya)
– Tenure: 10 November 1990 – 21 June 1991
– Key Contributions: Shortest tenure as Prime Minister, led a minority government.
—
10. P. V. Narasimha Rao (1991–1996)
– Party: Indian National Congress (INC)
– Tenure: 21 June 1991 – 16 May 1996
– Key Contributions: Initiated economic liberalization reforms in 1991, known as the architect of modern India’s economy.
—
11. Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1996, 1998–2004)
– Party: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
– Tenure:
– First term: 16 May 1996 – 1 June 1996 (13 days)
– Second term: 19 March 1998 – 22 May 2004
– Key Contributions: First non-Congress PM to complete a full term, conducted Pokhran-II nuclear tests (1998), initiated the Golden Quadrilateral project.
—
12. H. D. Deve Gowda (1996–1997)
– Party: Janata Dal (United Front)
– Tenure: 1 June 1996 – 21 April 1997
– Key Contributions: Focused on farmers’ issues and social justice.
—
13. I. K. Gujral (1997–1998)
– Party: Janata Dal (United Front)
– Tenure: 21 April 1997 – 19 March 1998
– Key Contributions: Known for the Gujral Doctrine in foreign policy.
—
14. Manmohan Singh (2004–2014)
– Party: Indian National Congress (INC)
– Tenure: 22 May 2004 – 26 May 2014
– Key Contributions: Architect of India’s economic reforms in 1991, introduced social welfare schemes like MNREGA, and signed the Indo-US nuclear deal.
—
15. Narendra Modi (2014–Present)
– Party: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
– Tenure: 26 May 2014 – Present
– Key Contributions: Introduced initiatives like Demonetization (2016), GST (2017), Make in India, and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Focused on digital transformation and infrastructure development.
—
Key Facts:
– Longest-Serving PM: Jawaharlal Nehru (16 years, 286 days).
– Shortest-Serving PM: Atal Bihari Vajpayee (13 days in 1996).
– First Female PM: Indira Gandhi.
– First Non-Congress PM: Morarji Desai (1977).
