List of All Prime Ministers of India (1947-2024) with Tenure, Facts, and Key Responsibilities

In India the Prime minister is the leader of the minister’s council and head of the government. The Prime Minister is the de facto head of the state. The executive branch of the Union Government is headed by the Prime Minister. The president of India appoints the Prime minister. The Prime Minister can be a member of either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. He must be the leader of the Party Or Coalition which has the majority of seats in the Lower House of the Parliament or Lok Sabha. Prime minister acts as chief spokesperson for all government’s policies and he is responsible for the government’s administration. The Indian Government is a Prime ministerial type of government. 

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List of Presidents of India (1947-2022) | Terms, Timeline, Achievements & Election Process

 

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. He became Prime Minister in 1947. He was the longest serving Prime Minister. He served as PM for more than 16 years. Indra Gandhi was the first female Prime Minister of India. She served the nation as PM for 11 years which made her second longest serving Prime Minister. The current Prime Minister of India is Mr. Narendra Damodardas Modi. He is the 14th Prime Minister of India. He assumed office in 2014. The next general election is to be conducted soon, and India will get its 15th prime minister. In this article you’re gonna know everything about Indian Prime Ministers and their role from 1947 to 2024.

Prime Minister of India	Term of Office		Days of Service
	Joining Date	End Date
Jawahar Lal Nehru	15th August 1947	27th May 1964	16 years,286 Days
Gulzari lal Nanda	27th May 1964	9th June 1964	13 Days
Lal Bahadur	9th June 1964	11 January 1966	1 Year. 216 Days
Gulzari Lal	11 January 1966	24th January 1966	13 Days
Indira Gandhi	24th January 1966	24th March 1977	11 Years, 59 Days
Morarji Desai	24th March 1977	28th July 1979	2 Years, 126 Days
Charan Singh	28th July 1979	14th January 1980	170 Days
Indira Gandhi	14th January 1980	31 October 1984	4 Years, 291 Days
Rajiv Gandhi	31 October 1984	2 December 1989	5 Years, 32 Days
V.P.Singh	2 December 1989	10th November 1990	343 Days
Chandra Shekhar	10th November 1990	21st June 1991	223 Days
P.V. Narasimha Rao	21st June 1991	16th May 1996	4 Years, 330 Days
Atal Bihari Vajpayee	16th May 1996	1st June 1996	16 Days
H.D. Deve Gowda	1st June 1996	21st April 1997	324 Days
Inder Kumar Gujral	21st April 1997	19th March 1998	332 Days
Atal Bihari Vajpayee	19th March 1998	22 May 2004	6 Years, 64 Days
Manmohan Singh	22 May 2004	26th May 2014	10 Years, 4 Days
Narendra Modi	26th May 2014	Present	–

 

List of all the Prime Ministers of India: Important Facts

• Pandit. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first PM of India. He played an important role in the Indian independence struggle. He is considered as the architect of modern India. He is the longest serving Prime minister of India with 16 years 286 days service period. 
• Indra Gandhi was the second longest serving PM of India with 11 years and 59 days of service. She was first lady PM of India.
• The first pro-poor PM was Charan Singh. He was a peasant leader. The first PM who was elected from a rural constituency was Charan Singh. 
• Morarji Desai was the first PM who wasn’t from the Congress Party. He was a Hindu nationalist and economic reformist. 
• Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest PM of India. A Sri Lankan suicide bomber assassinated him in 1989.
• The most no-confidence votes (15) were against Indra Gandhi. 

 

Prime Ministers of India List from 1947 to 2023 with Their Tenure

S.No.	Names	Birth-Death	Tenure	Interesting Facts
1	Jawahar Lal Nehru	(1889–1964)	15 August 1947-27 May 1964 16 years, 286 days.	Prime Minister of independent India for the first and longest period. First in-office death of a prime minister.
2	Gulzarilal Nanda	(1898–1998)	27 May 1964 to 9 June 1964 13 days.	After Nehru’s untimely death, the nation’s first acting prime minister assumed control.
3	Lal Bahadur Shastri	(1904–1966)	9 June 1964 to 11 January 1966 1 year, 216 days.	During the Indo-Pak war in 1965, he was the originator of the phrase “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan.”
4	Gulzarilal Nanda	(1898-1998)	11 January 1966, 24 January 1966 13 days.	Only man to have twice served as acting prime minister of India.
5	Indira Gandhi	(1917–1984)	24 January 1966 to 24 March 1977 11 years, 59 days.	The Indian prime minister’s spouse, who took the oath of office
6	Morarji Desai	(1896–1995)	24 March 1977 – 28 July 1979 2 years, 126 days.	First PM in 1977 following the emergency. At 81 years old, India’s oldest prime minister took the oath of office before resigning. His birthday was celebrated once every four years because he was born on February 29.
7	Charan Singh	(1902–1987)	28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980 170 days.	Only PM who has never addressed the legislature
8	Indira Gandhi	(1917–1984)	14 Jan.1980 to 31 Oct. 1984 4 years, 291 days.	Following the disaster in 1977, the first PM returned to power in 1980. Like her father, she also passed away while in office.
9	Rajiv Gandhi	(1944–1991)	31 Oct 1984 to 2 Dec 1989 5 years, 32 days.	At the age of 40, he became India’s youngest prime minister.
10	V. P. Singh	(1931–2008)	2 Dec 1989 to 10 Nov 1990 343 days.	First prime minister to leave following a no-confidence vote
11	Chandra Shekhar	(1927–2007)	10 Nov 1990 to 21 June 1991 223 days.	He has never held a position of minister in any ministry.
12	P. V. Narasimha Rao	(1921–2004)	21 June 1991 to 16 May 1996, 4 years, 330 days.	He was from Andhra Pradesh and served as the nation’s first South Indian prime minister.
13	Atal Bihari Vajpayee	(1924-2018)	16 May 1996 to 1 June 1996 16 days.	The shortest tenure of any Indian PM is 16 days as PM.
14	H. D. Deve Gowda	(born 1933)	1 June 1996 to 21 April 1997 324 days.	He succeeded as South India’s second prime minister. He is a Karnataka native. But he didn’t work there for more than a year.
15	Inder Kumar Gujral	(1919–2012)	21 April 1997 to 19 March 1998 332 days.	After Indra Gandhi and Deve Gowda, the third Prime Minister to come from the Upper House.
16	Atal Bihari Vajpayee	(born 1924-2018)	19 March 1998 to 22 May 2004 6 years, 64 days.	First non-Congress Prime Minister of independent India to serve out his full tenure
17	Manmohan Singh	(born 1932)	22 May 2004 to 26 May 2014 10 years, 4 days.	First PM of India from the minority community.
18	Narendra Modi	(born 1950)	2014-Present	Three PMs served two terms or more prior to Modi. In 2019, he too was added to this coveted list.

 

List of Prime Ministers of India- Power and Functions

The Prime Minister of India is the de facto head of the state. The President appoints the Prime Minister in the members of the winning political party or coalition. Leader of the political party is generally appointed as the PM. Functions and responsibilities of the Prime Minister are mentioned below: 

 

1.Leader of the country: The Prime Minister is the Head of the Government.

 

2.Chairman of the Cabinet: Prime Minister is the Chairman of the Minister’s Cabinet and he presides over each meeting of the cabinet. His decision is preferred in case of any conflict. 

 

3.Portfolio Allocation: Prime Minister can assign portfolios to ministers. 

 

4.Official Representative of the country: Prime Minister represents the nation for international meetings and he works as ambassador of the nation. 

 

5.Chief Advisor: Prime Minister is the advisor of the President. 

 

6.The link between the President and the Cabinet: Prime Minister works as a link between cabinet and president. He transmits and communicates all decisions of the union cabinet and legislature’s proposals. 

 

List of all the Prime Ministers of India: Important Points

• As per article 75 of Indian constitution there will be a Prime Minister who shall be appointed by the President of India.
• The leader of the Ministers of Cabinet is the Prime Minister. Prime minister has the main executive powers and the President is the nominal head of the state.
• Duties of the Prime minister are specified in the article 78 of Indian Constitution. The Prime minister works as a link between Cabinet and President while functioning his duties.
• The Prime Minister decides the dates of programmes and meetings of parliament sessions. The PM decides when the House of Parliament should be dissolved or prorogued. 
• Prime minister is the chief spokesperson that’s why he makes every announcement to answer questions and principal government policies. 
• The President appoints many officers on the recommendations of The Prime Minister. He reshuffles and allocates various portfolios among ministers. He acts as a head of the meeting of the council of ministers and dominates their decisions. 
• The Prime Minister has the power to make any member resign and tell the president to remove any minister.