India has had 14 Prime Ministers since Independence, plus Gulzarilal Nanda, who was acting Prime Minister twice. Narendra Modi is the current and 14th Prime Minister, in his third consecutive term since 9 June 2024. Below is the complete list from 1947 to 2026 with tenures and parties, the constitutional basis of the office, and the records most often tested.
Quick Answer
Current PM: Narendra Modi (BJP), in office since 26 May 2014; third term from 9 June 2024. First PM: Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–64), also the longest-serving (about 16 years 9 months). Shortest tenure: Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 16 days in 1996 (Gulzarilal Nanda’s acting spells were 13 days each). First non-Congress PM: Morarji Desai (1977). The PM is appointed by the President under Article 75(1).
List of Prime Ministers of India (1947–2026)
| No. | Prime Minister | Term | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jawaharlal Nehru | 15 Aug 1947 – 27 May 1964 | INC |
| – | Gulzarilal Nanda (acting) | 27 May 1964 – 9 Jun 1964 | INC |
| 2 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | 9 Jun 1964 – 11 Jan 1966 | INC |
| – | Gulzarilal Nanda (acting) | 11 Jan 1966 – 24 Jan 1966 | INC |
| 3 | Indira Gandhi | 24 Jan 1966 – 24 Mar 1977 | INC / INC(R) |
| 4 | Morarji Desai | 24 Mar 1977 – 28 Jul 1979 | Janata Party |
| 5 | Charan Singh | 28 Jul 1979 – 14 Jan 1980 | Janata Party (Secular) |
| 3 | Indira Gandhi (second spell) | 14 Jan 1980 – 31 Oct 1984 | INC(I) |
| 6 | Rajiv Gandhi | 31 Oct 1984 – 2 Dec 1989 | INC(I) |
| 7 | V. P. Singh | 2 Dec 1989 – 10 Nov 1990 | Janata Dal |
| 8 | Chandra Shekhar | 10 Nov 1990 – 21 Jun 1991 | Samajwadi Janata Party |
| 9 | P. V. Narasimha Rao | 21 Jun 1991 – 16 May 1996 | INC(I) |
| 10 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 16 May 1996 – 1 Jun 1996 | BJP |
| 11 | H. D. Deve Gowda | 1 Jun 1996 – 21 Apr 1997 | Janata Dal |
| 12 | I. K. Gujral | 21 Apr 1997 – 19 Mar 1998 | Janata Dal |
| 10 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (second spell) | 19 Mar 1998 – 22 May 2004 | BJP |
| 13 | Manmohan Singh | 22 May 2004 – 26 May 2014 | INC |
| 14 | Narendra Modi | 26 May 2014 – present | BJP |
Constitutional Basis of the Prime Minister
| Article | Provision |
|---|---|
| Article 74 | A Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister aids and advises the President, who must act on that advice (made binding by the 42nd Amendment, 1976). |
| Article 75(1) | The President appoints the Prime Minister; other ministers are appointed on the PM’s advice. |
| Article 75(1A) | The Council of Ministers cannot exceed 15% of the Lok Sabha’s strength (91st Amendment, 2003). |
| Article 75(3) | The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. |
| Article 75(5) | A non-member can be a minister, including PM, for six months without entering Parliament. |
| Article 78 | The PM must communicate Cabinet decisions to the President and furnish information the President asks for. |
The Constitution does not say how the PM is chosen. By convention the President invites the leader of the majority party or coalition in the Lok Sabha. When no party has a clear majority, the President may use discretion, as in 1979 (Charan Singh) and 1996 (Vajpayee, then Deve Gowda).
Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha?
A Prime Minister can come from either House. Indira Gandhi (1966), H. D. Deve Gowda, I. K. Gujral and Manmohan Singh were members of the Rajya Sabha when they became Prime Minister. Deve Gowda was not a member of Parliament at all when sworn in and entered the Rajya Sabha later.
Records and Facts for Prelims
- Longest-serving PM: Jawaharlal Nehru, about 16 years 286 days.
- Longest unbroken run after Nehru: Narendra Modi, who in July 2025 passed Indira Gandhi’s 1966–77 continuous tenure.
- First non-Congress PM: Morarji Desai (Janata Party, 1977); also the oldest to take office, at 81.
- Only PM who never faced Parliament as PM: Charan Singh, who resigned before seeking a confidence vote in 1979.
- First PM to lose a confidence vote: V. P. Singh (November 1990).
- Government that fell by one vote: Vajpayee’s government lost a confidence motion 269–270 in April 1999.
- First woman PM: Indira Gandhi; she remains the only woman to hold the office.
- Youngest PM: Rajiv Gandhi, aged 40 in 1984.
- First PM from South India: P. V. Narasimha Rao (1991).
- First Sikh PM: Manmohan Singh (2004).
- PMs who died in office: Nehru (1964), Shastri (1966, Tashkent) and Indira Gandhi (1984, assassinated).
- Bharat Ratna recipients among PMs: Nehru, Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Vajpayee, and (in 2024) Charan Singh and P. V. Narasimha Rao.
Prime Minister and President: Who Holds Real Power?
India follows the parliamentary (Westminster) model. The President is the nominal head of the State, and the Prime Minister is the real executive head of the government. After the 42nd and 44th Amendments, the President must act on the advice of the Council of Ministers, though he or she can return advice once for reconsideration. The PM chairs the Cabinet, NITI Aayog, the National Development Council and the Nuclear Command Authority’s Political Council, and is the link between the President and the Council of Ministers. See our Constitution of India notes for the full executive chapter.
