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Prime Ministers of India from 1947 to 2023

Important Facts about the Prime Ministers of India:

 Jawaharlal Nehru was India’s longest-serving Prime Minister (16 years, 9 months, 12
days).
 Gulzarilal Nanda was the first acting Prime Minister of India. He served twice as the acting
Prime Minister.
 Indira Gandhi was also called “Priyadarshini”, the name given to her by Rabindra Nath
Tagore.
 Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest Prime Minister of India. He was sworn as Prime Minister,
the same day when Indira Gandhi was assassinated.
 P V Narasimha Rao was the first Prime Minister from South India.
 Indira Gandhi was the first and the only woman Prime Minister of India to date.
 Indira Gandhi is the second longest-serving (15 years) Prime Minister of India.
 Morarji Desai was the first non- Congress Prime Minister of India.
 Manmohan Singh is an economist who served as the Governor of Reserve Bank of India
from 1982 to 1985 and was the Finance Minister in PV Narasimha Rao’s government.
 Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the only Prime Minister who had held office for the shortest tenure
of 16 days.
 Atal Bihari Vajpayee served three terms as the 10th Prime Minister of India, first for a
term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 to 1999, followed by a
full term from 1999 to 2004.
 Prime ministers are accorded a state funeral.
 The 7, Lok Kalyan Marg- previously known as 7, Race Course Road – in New Delhi,
currently serves as the official residence for the Prime Minister of India.
 Rajiv Gandhi was the first Prime Minister to use the 7, racecourse road as his residence in
1984.
 The bungalows of the Prime Minister’s residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg is designed
by Robert Tor Russell.
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 The 7 Lok Kalyan Marg became the Prime Minister’s official residence during Prime
Minister VP Singh’s tenure.
 The first residence of the Indian Prime Minister was Teen Murti Bhavan.
 The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) acts as the principal workplace of the Prime Minister.
 Vallabh Bhai Patel was the first Deputy Prime Minister of India, who was also the first
Home Minister in the Jawaharlal Nehru’s Cabinet.

List of Indian Prime Ministers since Independence:

Sl. No. Name Period Important Facts

First Prime Minister of India; Died in

1st Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru 15 Aug 1947 to 27 May 1964 office; had the longest tenure.

First acting Prime Minister.

Acting Gulzarilal Nanda 27 May 1964 to 9 June 1964

Only Prime Minister to die abroad

2nd Lal Bahadur Shastri 9 June 1964 to 11 Jan 1966 during an official tour.

First to become acting Prime minister

Acting Gulzarilal Nanda 11 Jan 1966 to 24 Jan 1966 twice.

First woman Prime Minister of India;

3rd Indira Gandhi 24 Jan 1966 to 24 Mar 1977 First Prime Minister to lose an
election.
Oldest Prime Minister (81 years) and
4th Morarji Desai 24 Mar 1977 to 28 Jul 1979
the First to resign from office.
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Only Prime Minister who did not face

5th Charan Singh 28 July 1979 to 14 Jan 1980 the Parliament.

First Prime Minister to be

Indira Gandhi 14 Jan 1980 to 31 Oct 1984 assassinated.

Youngest Prime Minister (40 years)

6th Rajiv Gandhi 31 Oct 1984 to 2 Dec 1989

First Prime Minister to step down

7th Vishwanath Pratap Singh 2 Dec 1989 to 10 Nov 1990 after voting of no-confidence.

He was the first Indian Prime

8th Chandra Shekhar 10 Nov 1990 to 21 June 1991 Minister who had never held any
prior government office.
First Prime Minister from Southern
9th P. V. Narasimha Rao 21 Jun 1991 to 16 May 1996 India.

Shortest tenure of a Prime Minister.

10th Atal Bihari Vajpayee 16 May 1996 to 1 June 1996

He is credited for providing financial

closure and kick starting development
11th H. D. Deve Gowda 1 Jun 1996 to 21 Apr 1997
of the Delhi Metro Project.

His tenure lasted for less than a year.

12th I.K. Gujral 21 Apr 1997 to 19 Mar 1998

He served three terms as the

Atal Bihari Vajpayee 19 Mar 1998 to 22 May 2004 10th Prime Minister of India.
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First Sikh Prime Minister; Longest

13th Dr. Manmohan Singh 22 May 2004 to 26 May 2014 tenure after Jawaharlal Nehru.

First Prime Minister born after

14th Narendra Modi 26 May 2014 to date independence and also served as CM.

Additional Question & Answers on Indian Prime Minister:

Q1. How many Prime Ministers are there in India?

Answer: There are total 14 Prime Ministers of India as of October 2023. Sri Narendra Modi is
the 14th Prime Minister of India and is serving his 2nd term from 30 May 2019 to date.

Q2.Who was India’s first Prime Minister?

Answer: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India.

Q3.Who is India’s first woman Prime Minister?

Answer: Indira Gandhi was the first women Prime Minister of India. She was the 3 rd Prime
Minister of India.

Q4. Who is the 14th Prime Minister of India?

Answer: Narendra Modi is the 14th Prime Minister of India. He is the 14th Prime Minister of
India and is serving his 2 nd term from 30 May 2019 to date.

Q5. Who was the youngest and oldest Prime Minister of India?
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Answer: Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest (40 years) and Morarji Desai (81 years) was the oldest
Prime Ministers of India.

Q6. Which article of the Indian Constitution deals with the appointment of the Prime Minister?

Answer: Article 75 of the Indian Constitution deals with the appointment of the Prime Minister.

Q7. Who appoints the Prime Minister of India?

Answer: The President of India appoints the Prime Minister of India.