List of Prime Ministers of India

The Prime Minister of India is the head of government of the Republic of India. Even though the President of India is the constitutional, nominal, and ceremonial head of state, in ordinary parlance, the executive authority is vested in the Prime Minister and his chosen Council of Ministers. India has had 15 Prime Ministers to date (excluding the interim Prime MInisters), with Uttar Pradesh being the state which has given the most number of Prime Ministers. In this article, we shall discuss the list of Prime Ministers of India, their term, contributions and many more.

All Prime Ministers of India (1947-2024)

Prime Ministers of India

• Jawaharlal Nehru

He was the first Prime Minister of independent India who played an important role in shaping modern India by transmitting modern values and thinking. Being a social reformer, one of his major works was reforming the ancient Hindu civil code, which gave Hindu widows equal rights to men. He was also the author of many books like Discovery of India.

• Gulzarilal Nanda

The first interim Prime Minister of India. Basically, he served twice as an interim PM in 1964 after Jawaharlal Nehru’s death and then in 1966 when Lal Bahadur Shastri passed away. He also received India’s highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, in 1997.

• Lal Bahadur Shastri

A follower of Mahatma Gandhi, who gave the popular slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ after the 1965 India- Pakistan war. He was a soft-spoken person who promoted the ‘White Revolution’ to increase milk production in India. Then, this great personality died in USSR during his visit. 

• Indira Gandhi

She was the first woman Prime Minister of India & also the world’s longest-serving woman PM. Her contributions were remembered for India’s win over Pakistan in 1971. However, she is also criticized for the emergency imposed from 1975- 1977. Ultimately, she was killed by her own bodyguards at her official residence in New Delhi.

• Morarji Desai

Morarji Desai was the first non-Congress Prime Minister of India. He and his minister formally ended the state of emergency that Indira Gandhi from 1975-1977 imposed. He is also considered as one of the oldest individuals to take over the responsibilities of the Prime Minister and was also the Indian PM to resign during his tenure.

• Charan Singh

Charan Singh has been the Revenue Minister of Uttar Pradesh who removed the Zamindari system and brought in Land Reform Acts. Afterwards, in 1970 Charan Singh also became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

• Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi became the youngest Prime Minister to take office and played a significant role in bringing computers to India. He modernized the Indian administration & worked for improving the bilateral relationships with the US, which undoubtedly expanded economic cooperation. He was also the second PM of India to have been killed during his tenure, after Indira Gandhi.

• Shri Vishwanath Pratap Singh 

V.P. Singh was the founder of Gopal Vidyalaya, Allahabad. He was first appointed as a Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh by Indira Gandhi. Later he became the Prime Minister of India. Under his tenure, the decision to provide 27% reservation to OBC was implemented. He was also the first Indian Prime Minister who had to step down after a no-confidence motion.

• Chandra Shekhar

Chandra Shekhar, the 9th Prime Minister, had been a part of several political parties. First, he was a member of the Socialist Party and later joined the Congress and then the Janata Dal Party. He was the President of the Janata Party from 1977- 1988. 

• P.V. Narasimha Rao

P. V. Narasimha Rao was one of the brilliant administrators who brought major economic reforms. He is also known as the Father of Indian Economic Reforms. It was him who dismantled the License Raj and reversed the socialist policies of Rajiv Gandhi's government. Due to such abilities and work, he is also referred to as ‘Chanakya’.

• Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was one of the finest Prime Ministers our country had ever seen. During his tenure, inflation was very low in India. He worked on economic reforms and policies, telecom sectors and focused more on rural India. Interestingly, during his tenure, the India-Pakistan relationship got a little better. He is one of the only leaders who has won six Lok Sabha constituencies from four different states (UP, Delhi, MP and Gujarat).

• Deve Gowda

Deve Gowda held additional charges of Home Affairs, Petroleum and Chemicals, Urban Employment, Food processing, Personnel, etc., during that time. He had been collectively elected as leader of the United Front coalition government. The most significant work during his term as PM was his resistance to signing CTBT(Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty). 

• Manmohan Singh

The major task done during the tenure of Manmohan Singh was working for the reformation of the banking, the financial sector, and public companies. His government brought in the value-added tax and worked & even the National Rural Health Mission commenced in the year 2005. Eight additional IITs were opened in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, MP, Orissa, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh.

• Narendra Modi

Narendra Damodardas Modi held office as PM on 26 May 2014. He is the 14th Prime Minister of India. Since the beginning of his tenure in 2014, he has shown strict governance & has enforced many policies, such as the Jan Dhan Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Clean Ganga project, etc., for the upliftment of the nation. Narendra Modi sworn as the 16th Prime Minister for the 3rd term from 9 June 2024. He is the first BJP Minister to be elected for the second time.

Did you know?

Five Indian Prime Ministers have been active participants in the Indian Independence movement, and none of the Indian Prime Ministers has served in the Indian Armed Forces.