VerifiedPrime Ministers of India: From 1947 to 2020
It is the President of India who appoints the Prime Minister as per Article 75 of the Indian Constitution. The PM leads the Cabinet Ministers. The nation is headed nominally by the President while the Prime Minister holds the main executive power. The current Prime Minister of India is Mr Narendra Modi. The first Prime Minister of independent India was Jawaharlal Nehru who served for the longest period of time- 6130 days.
Duties of a Prime Minister
As per the Constitution of India, the dates of Parliament session meetings and programmes are decided by the PM along with when and whether the House is to be dissolved or prorogued. If any principal government policies are launched, it is the Prime Minister who announces the same and answers questions associated with it.
Indian Prime Ministers till date
1. Jawaharlal Nehru
The first Prime Minister of independent India was born in 1889 and breathed his last while in office in 1964. He served the country for 16 long years, from 15th August 1947 to 27th May 1964. He is the longest-serving PM of India.
2. Gulzarilal Nanda
Born in 1898, he served our country for 13 days from 27th May 1964 to 9th June 1964. The first acting PM of India died in 1998.
3. Lal Bahadur Shastri
The proponent of the slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” Lal Bahadur Shastri was born in 1904 and became the PM of India on 9th June 1964 and remained so till 11th January 1966. He gave the slogan during the Indo-Pak war in 1965. He died in 1966.
4. Indira Gandhi
The first lady Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi became the PM on 24th January 1966. She remained India’s PM for 11 years till 24th March 1977. She was born in 1917 and died in 1984.
5. Morarji Desai
Born in 1896, he became the PM of India at the age of 81 years on 24th March 1977 and remained the same till 28th July 1979. The first PM to resign from office died in 1995.
6. Charan Singh
He was the PM of India from 28th July 1979 to 14th January 1980. He was born in 1902 and died in 1987. He never faced the parliament during his term as the PM.
7. Indira Gandhi
The first lady Pm served yet another term for four years from 14th January 1980 to 31st October 1984.
8. Rajiv Gandhi
Born on 1944, Rajiv Gandhi became the youngest PM of India at the age of 40 on 31st October 1984. Remaining the PM till 2nd December 1989, he died in 1991.
9. V. P. Singh
His term as a PM was not even a full year- from 2nd December 1989 to 10th November 1990. Born in 1931, he was the first PM to receive the vote of no confidence and stepped down. He died in 2008.
10. Chandra Shekhar
Belonging to the Samajwadi Janata Party, he served as a PM of India for 223 days- from 10th November 1990 to 21st June 1991. Born in 1927 he died at the age of 80 in 2007.
11. P. V. Narasimha Rao
This 1921 born PM of India served a term of more than 4 years, from 21st June 1991 to 16th May 1996. The first PM from southern parts of India died in 2004.
12. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
In his first term as the PM, he served the shortest tenure of 16 days, from 16th May 1996 to 1st June 1996. He was born in 1924 and died in 2018.
13. H. D. Deve Gowda
First PM from Janata Dal, he was born in 1933. He served the nation from 1st June 1996 to 21st April 1997 i.e. for 324 days.
14. Inder Kumar Gujral
Born in 1919, he was the PM of India for 332 days. His term ended on 19th March, 1998 and he died in 2012.
15. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
He was the first PM belonging to a party other than Congress to serve the full term of 6 years. On his second term, his tenure was till 22d May 2004.
16. Manmohan Singh
He was the first Sikh PM of India. He served the country for 10 years up to 26th May 2014. He was born in 1932.
17. Narendra Modi
Born in 1950, he is the fourth PM of India belonging to a different political party (Bharatiya Janata Party) other than Congress, who is serving two tenures consecutively. He is still the ruling PM of India since 26th May 2014. He is making India proud in many ways despite numerous challenges.
The Prime Minister of India has the ultimate say in rearranging his portfolio of ministers. Any meeting of the council of ministers is presided over by him only; so is allocation and reshuffling of portfolios. The ministers’ decisions are influenced by the PM. It is within the power of the PM to ask for any minister’s removal by the President. She/he can ask for the resignation of any member at any time. He is the leader whom the nation looks up to for his role in making the country strong and prosperous in every aspect.
