The Prime Minister of India is the head of the executive of the Government of India. The Prime Minister is also the President of India's chief adviser and the leader of the Council of Ministers. They can serve in either the Lok Sabha (House of the People) or the Rajya Sabha (Council of the States) of India's Parliament, but they must be a member of a political party or coalition with a majority in the Lok Sabha.
In a parliamentary system, the prime minister is the highest-ranking member of the cabinet. The prime minister appoints and dismisses cabinet members, as well as appoints members of the government to various positions.
List of Prime Ministers
1. Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru - 15 August 1947 to 27 May 1964
Jawaharlal Nehru: He was the first Prime Minister of India
and held office from 1947 to 1964. He was also a central figure in the Indian
independence movement and a leader of the Indian National Congress.
2. Gulzarilal Nanda (acting) - 27 May 1964 to 9 June 1964
3. Lal Bahadur Shastri - 9 June 1964 to 11 January 1966
Lal Bahadur Shastri: He was the second Prime Minister of
India and held office from 1964 to 1966. He is best known for his leadership
during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and for his slogan "Jai Jawan Jai
Kisan" (Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer).
4. Gulzari Lal Nanda (acting) - 11 January 1966 to 24 January 1966
5. Indira Gandhi - 24 January 1966 to 24 March 1977
Indira Gandhi: She was the first and only female Prime
Minister of India and held office from 1966 to 1977 and then again from 1980
until her assassination in 1984. She is known for her nationalization of the
banking sector and for her role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War.
6. Morarji Desai - 24 March 1977 to 28 July 1979
Morarji Desai: He was the fourth Prime Minister of India and
held office from 1977 to 1979. He was the first non-Congress Prime Minister of
India and is known for his controversial policies, including the abolition of
the Privy Purse.
7. Charan Singh - 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980
Charan Singh: He was the fifth Prime Minister of India and
held office for a brief period in 1979. He was the first Prime Minister from
the Jat community and is known for his advocacy of farmer's rights.
8. Indira Gandhi - 14 January 1980 to 31 October 1984
9. Rajiv Gandhi - 31 October 1984 to 2 December 1989
Rajiv Gandhi: He was the sixth Prime Minister of India and held
office from 1984 to 1989. He is the youngest Prime Minister in Indian history
and is best known for his efforts to modernize the Indian economy and for his
role in the Sri Lankan Civil War.
10. Vishwanath Pratap Singh - 2 December 1989 to 10 November 1990
V. P. Singh: He was the seventh Prime Minister of India and
held office from 1989 to 1990. He is best known for his implementation of the
Mandal Commission report, which recommended reservation quotas for socially and
economically marginalized groups.
11. Chandra Shekhar - 10 November 1990 to 21 June 1991
Chandra Shekhar: He was the eighth Prime Minister of India
and held office for a brief period in 1990. He was the first Prime Minister
from a socialist party and is known for his efforts to stabilize the Indian
economy.
12. Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao - 21 June 1991 to 16 May 1996
P. V. Narasimha Rao: He was the ninth Prime Minister of
India and held office from 1991 to 1996. He is best known for his economic
liberalization policies, which opened up the Indian economy to global trade and
investment.
13. Atal Bihari Vajpayee - 16 May 1996 to 1 June 1996
Atal Bihari Vajpayee: He was the tenth Prime Minister of
India and held office from 1996 to 2004. He is the first Prime Minister from
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is known for his efforts to improve
Indo-Pakistan relations and for his role in the nuclear tests in 1998.
14. Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda - 1 June 1996 to 21 April 1997
15. Inder Kumar Gujral - 21 April 1997 to 19 March 1998
16. Atal Bihari Vajpayee - 19 March 1998 to 22 May 2004
17. Manmohan Singh - 22 May 2004 to 26 May 2014
Manmohan Singh: He was the 11th Prime Minister of India and held office from 2004 to 2014. He was the first Prime Minister from the Indian National Congress in over a decade and is best known for his role in the economic reforms of the 1990s.
18. Narendra Modi - 26 May 2014 - Present
Narendra Modi: He is the current Prime Minister of India and has been in office since 2014. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is known for his focus on national security, economic development, and improved relations with other countries.
Some facts about Prime Ministers of India
Jawaharlal Nehru was India's longest-serving Prime Minister, having held the position for over 16 years. He held the position of Prime Minister four times.
Following the deaths of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 and Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966, Gulzarilal Nanda served as India's Interim Prime Minister for two 13-day periods.
Jawaharlal Nehru: He was a prolific writer and wrote several books, including the famous "Discovery of India". He also had a great love for children and established Children's Day as a national holiday in India.
Indira Gandhi: She was known for her love of animals and had a pet mongoose named Maruf. She was also known for her bravery and fearlessness, and once personally climbed into a bunker to boost the morale of Indian troops during the 1971 war with Pakistan.
Morarji Desai: Morarji Desai was known for his unconventional beliefs and practices, including the practice of urine therapy. He was known to have consumed his own urine regularly and believed it had numerous health benefits.
Rajiv Gandhi: He was a trained pilot and was the first Indian Prime Minister to have a science background. He was also known for his love of technology and is credited with initiating the process of computerization in India.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee: He was a noted poet and wrote several poems in Hindi. He was also known for his speeches and was regarded as one of India's greatest orators. Vajpayee headed the first non-Congress government to serve a full five-year term, from 1999 to 2004.
