List of Prime Ministers of India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Manmohan Singh, the 13th and current Prime Minister of India, has been serving since 22 May 2004.

The Prime Minister of India is the political leader of the country and the principal head of government of the Republic of India. As addressed to in the Constitution of India, the prime minister is the chief of government, chief advisor to the president, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament. The office holder is responsible for nominating all other members of the government, chairing cabinet meetings.[1] The office of Prime Minister was created immediately after the establishment of India, according to the Indian Independence Act, in 1947.[a][2] There have been 13 and one acting prime ministers since 1947. From Indian National Congress; six, Janata Dal; three and one from Janata Party, Janata Party (Secular), Samajwadi Janata Party, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have served at the post.

Jawaharlal Nehru was appointed as the first Prime Minister of independent India by the Governor General in 1947. He served at the post till 27 May 1964 when he died in office, making him the longest serving Prime Minister of the country.[3][4] Gulzarilal Nanda succeed him as the acting Prime Minister and served until elections.[5] Lal Bahadur Shastri was selected as the second Prime Minister of the country on 9 June 1964[6] and the place was taken by Nanda as an acting Prime Minister again, when he died.[7][8] Indira Gandhi assumed the office as the third Prime Minister on 24 January 1966 and served till 24 March 1977, making her the first female Prime Minister of India.[9][10] Morarji Desai, the first Janata Party leader[11][b] and Charan Singh the first Janata Party (Secular)[12][c] leader served at the post chronologically until Gandhi was reelected for the post on 14 January 1980.[13] She served at the position till 31 October 1984 when she was assassinated,[14][d] making her the country's second longest serving and the world's second longest serving female Prime Minister.[17][18]

Rajiv Gandhi, son of the late Indira, succeeded his mother as the sixth prime minister on 31 October 1984.[19] V. P. Singh, the first Janata Dal leader[e][20] and Chandra Shekhar,[21] the first Samajwadi Janata Party[f][g] then occupied the post until the election of P. V. Narasimha Rao of the Indian National Congress in 1991.[24] He was succeeded by Atal Bihari Vajpayee; the first Bharatiya Janata Party[h] leader to take the position 16 May 1996, however the government fell after 13 days as BJP was unable to get the support from other parties.[25] H. D. Deve Gowda and Inder Kumar Gujral,[26][27] both from Janata Dal served at the post chronologically forming the United Front until reelection of Vajpayee in 1998 who formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for the first time.[28] The government collapsed after thirteen months resulting in fresh polls in which Vajpayee was reelected for the third time.[25] He served at the post till 22 May 2004 when Indian National Congress again came to power with Dr. Manmohan Singh assuming the post as the 13th Prime Minister, forming the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for the first time.[29][i] Singh continued as prime minister following the 2009 general elections, and governs with the support of the UPA.[31]

Contents

Key [edit]

Party of Prime Minister:

Governing Alliance:

Other key

  • No.: Incumbent number
  • CM: Council of Ministers
  • † Assassinated or died in office
  • § Returned to office after a previous term
  • RES Resigned
  • NC Resigned following a no-confidence motion

Prime Ministers [edit]

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death); Constituency		 CM Term of office Elections
(Lok Sabha)		 Political party
(Alliance)		 Refs
1 Nehru1.jpg Jawaharlal Nehru
(1889–1964)
MP for Phulpur		 1 15 August
1947		 27 May
1964 [†]		 1952 (1st) Indian National Congress [32]
2 1957 (2nd)
3 1962 (3rd)
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947; created Planning Commission of India and initiated Five-year plan to increase government investment in agriculture and industry; launched programmes to build irrigation canals, dams and spread the use of fertilizers to increase agricultural production; oversaw widespread poverty and unemployment, even with improvements in agriculture and infrastructure; oversaw establishment of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management; criminalised caste discrimination and increased the legal rights and social freedoms of women; pioneered the policy of non-alignment and co-founded the Non-Aligned Movement; Sino-Indian War; signed the Indus Waters Treaty; granted asylum to the Dalai Lama; oversaw liberation of Goa.
— Gulzarilal Nanda.jpg Gulzarilal Nanda[j]
(1898–1998)
MP for Sabarkantha		  — 27 May
1964		 9 June
1964		  – (3rd) Indian National Congress [33]
Served as caretaker Prime Minister until the election of Lal Bahadur Shastri.
2 1736 Lal Bahadur Shastri cropped.jpg Lal Bahadur Shastri
(1904–1966)
MP for Allahabad		 4 9 June
1964		 11 January
1966 [†]		  – (3rd) Indian National Congress [34]
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965; pushed for Green Revolution in India and Operation Flood; The National Dairy Development Board was formed; died from a heart attack at a summit in Tashkent.
— Gulzarilal Nanda.jpg Gulzarilal Nanda
(1898–1998)
MP for Sabarkantha		  — 11 January
1966		 24 January
1966		  – (3rd) Indian National Congress [33]
Served as caretaker Prime Minister once again, until Indira Gandhi was chosen as the new leader.
3 Indira2.jpg Indira Gandhi
(1917–1984)
MP for Rae Bareli		 5 24 January
1966		 24 March
1977		  – (3rd)
1967 (4th)		 Indian National Congress [35]
6 1971 (5th)
Nationalized banks; won the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which resulted in the formation of Bangladesh; signed the Shimla Agreement; tested the first nuclear weapon with Smiling Buddha; initiated Green Revolution in India; imposed state of emergency 1975–1977.
4 Morarji Desai (portrait).png Morarji Desai
(1896–1995)
MP for Surat		 7 24 March
1977		 28 July
1979 [RES]		 1977 (6th) Janata Party [36]
Improved relations with Pakistan, China and the United States; softened its relationship with the Soviet Union; launched Sixth Five-Year Plan, aiming to boost agricultural production and rural industries; the plan proved unsuccessful leading to resurging inflation, fuel shortages, unemployment and poverty; lost many MPs from Janata Party, including his rival Charan Singh, which led to his resignation.
5 Charan Singh (cropped).jpg Charan Singh
(1902–1987)
MP for Baghpat		 8 28 July
1979		 14 January
1980 [RES]		  – (6th) Janata Party (Secular)
with Indian National Congress		 [37]
Initiated high level diplomatic relations with Israel; lost support of Congress, which led to his resignation without even a single session of Lok Sabha.
(3) Indira2.jpg Indira Gandhi
(1917–1984)
MP for Rae Bareli		 9 14 January
1980 [§]		 31 October
1984 [†]		 1980 (7th) Indian National Congress (Indira) [38]
Operation Blue Star, which subsequently led to her assassination.
6 Rajiv Gandhi (cropped).jpg Rajiv Gandhi
(1944–1991)
MP for Amethi		 10 31 October
1984		 2 December
1989		 1984 (8th) Indian National Congress [39]
1984 anti-Sikh riots; significantly reduced License Raj; expanded telecommunications in India; signed the Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord; Bofors scandal; nullified the Supreme Court's judgement on Shah Bano case; removed locks illegally on disputed Babri Mosque structure which would later be demolished; Diplomatic Ties with Palestine Established
7 V. P. Singh (cropped).jpg V. P. Singh
(1931–2008)
MP for Fatehpur		 11 2 December
1989		 10 November
1990 [NC]		 1989 (9th) Janata Dal
(National Front)		 [40]
Negotiated kidnapping of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's daughter by Kashmiri sepratists; visited Golden Temple to ask for forgiveness for Operation Blue Star; withdrew IPKF from Sri Lanka; initiated fixed quota/reservation for all public sector jobs as per recommendation from Mandal Commission; Ram Janmabhoomi agitation and subsequent loss of vote of no confidence because of it.
8 Chandra Shekhar (cropped).jpg Chandra Shekhar
(1927–2007)
MP for Ballia		 12 10 November
1990		 21 June
1991		  – (9th) Samajwadi Janata Party
with Indian National Congress		 [41]
Resigned due to accusations of spying on former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and subsequent withdrawal of Congress' support; Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
9 P V Narasimha Rao.png P. V. Narasimha Rao
(1921–2004)
MP for Nandyal		 13 21 June
1991		 16 May
1996		 1991 (10th) Indian National Congress [42]
Initiated Economic liberalisation in India; SEBI Act 1992; formation of National Stock Exchange of India; 1993 Bombay bombings; Diplomatic Ties with Israel Established; introduced TADA; Demolition of Babri Masjid.
10 Atal Bihari Vajpayee.jpg Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(1924– )
MP for Lucknow		 14 16 May
1996		 1 June
1996 [RES]		 1996* (11th) Bharatiya Janata Party [43]
*Hung parliament. Was in power for only 13 days, after BJP could not gather enough support from other parties to form a majority.
11 H. D. Deve Gowda
(1933– )
MP (Rajya Sabha) for Karnataka		 15 1 June
1996		 21 April
1997 [RES]		 1996* (11th) Janata Dal
(United Front)		 [43]
*Hung parliament. After a failed attempt of forming a BJP government, Congress refused to form a government and instead supported a minority United Front coalition led by Janata Dal. President of China Jiang Zemin begins the first visit by a Chinese head of state to India; initiates President's rule in Gujarat.
12 Inder Kumar Gujral 071.jpg Inder Kumar Gujral
(1919–2012)
MP (Rajya Sabha) for Bihar		 16 21 April
1997		 19 March
1998		  – (11th) Janata Dal
(United Front)		 [44]
Fodder scam; Jain Commission.
(10) Atal Bihari Vajpayee.jpg Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(1924– )
MP for Lucknow		 17 19 March
1998 [§]		 22 May
2004		 1998 (12th) Bharatiya Janata Party
(National Democratic Alliance)		 [45]
18 1999 (13th)
Pokhran nuclear tests; Kargil War; Kargil coffin scam; National Highway Development Project; Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana; POTA; Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan; 2001 Indian Parliament attack and Operation Parakram; Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijack; 2002 Gujarat violence; National Technical Research Organisation.
13 Manmohansingh04052007.jpg Dr. Manmohan Singh
(1932– )
MP (Rajya Sabha) for Assam		 19 22 May
2004		 Incumbent 2004 (14th) Indian National Congress
(United Progressive Alliance)		 [46]
20 2009 (15th)
Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement; won the 2008 Lok Sabha vote of confidence; US $ 1 Trillion Economy milestone reached; Economic crisis of 2008; National Rural Employment Guarantee Act; Right to Information Act; National Rural Health Mission; Unique ID Project (Aadhar); 2008 Mumbai attacks and subsequent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act; Creation of National Investigation Agency to focus on terrorism related cases; 2G spectrum scam; Right to Education Act; Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal agitation; Coalgate; Direct Benefit Transfer; Delhi gang rape and subsequent Sexual Harassment Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal Act; Choppergate.

See also [edit]

Portal icon Government of India portal
Portal icon India portal

Notes [edit]

  1. ^ The post of the Prime Minister of Pakistan was also created simultaneously.
  2. ^ He was also the first leader from a party other than Indian National Congress to be selected for the post
  3. ^ in coalition with Indian National Congress
  4. ^ The assassination was considered to be a revenge of the Operation Blue Star.[15][16]
  5. ^ He also formed independent India's first multi-party government
  6. ^ The party was formed by merging two parties; Janata Dal (Secular) and Janata Party.[22]
  7. ^ Supported by Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party; the only government which was supported by both the parties.[23]
  8. ^ Bharatiya Janta Party is currently one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress
  9. ^ Dr. Manmohan Singh was elected as the Prime Minister, however, Sonia Gandhi serves as the chairperson of the UPA.[30]
  10. ^ There was some earlier debate as to whether Nanda was a Prime Minister or merely an acting Prime Minister, but constitutional experts and historians now agree that he should be regarded as the second Prime Minister of India and his title should not be qualified by the term "acting" (the Constitution does not have a position of acting Prime Minister). By contrast, the constitution does provide for an acting President, who discharges the duties of a President.

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Prime minister". BBC News. 16 October 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2012. 
  2. ^ "Prime ministers". World Statesmen. Retrieved 9 September 2012. 
  3. ^ Sue Vander Hook (1 September 2010). Mahatma Gandhi: Proponent of Peace. ABDO. pp. 84–. ISBN 978-1-61613-515-7. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  4. ^ Marlay, Ross; Clark D. Neher (1999). Patriots and Tyrants: Ten Asian Leaders. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 368. ISBN 0-8476-8442-3. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  5. ^ Jayanta K.Nanda (1 January 2001). Industrial Development. Sarup & Sons. pp. 33–. ISBN 978-81-7625-253-9. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  6. ^ Chandrika Prasad Srivastava (1995). Lal Bahadur Shastri, prime minister of India, 9 June 1964 – 11 January 1966: a life of truth in politics. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-563499-0. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  7. ^ Promilla Kalhan (1997). Gulzarilal Nanda: A Life in the Service of the People. Allied Publishers. pp. 136–. ISBN 978-81-7023-693-1. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  8. ^ Gopa Sabharwal (2007). India Since 1947: The Independent Years. Penguin Books India. pp. 106–. ISBN 978-0-14-310274-8. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  9. ^ Pranay Gupte (15 February 2012). Mother India: A Political Biography of Indira Gandhi. Penguin Books India. pp. 277–. ISBN 978-0-14-306826-6. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  10. ^ India. R.I.C. Publications. 2010. pp. 94–. ISBN 978-1-74126-911-6. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  11. ^ Manisha (1 September 2004). Profiles of Indian Prime Ministers: Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru to Dr. Manmohan Singh. Mittal Publications. pp. 43–. ISBN 978-81-7099-976-8. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  12. ^ Csaba Nikolenyi (2010). Minority Governments in India: The Puzzle of Elusive Majorities. Taylor & Francis. pp. 42–44. ISBN 978-0-415-77826-8. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  13. ^ Peter J. S. Duncan (1989). The Soviet Union and India. Taylor & Francis Group. pp. 90–. ISBN 978-0-415-00212-7. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  14. ^ Lynn Santa Lucia. Amazons & Hellcats. Pier 9. pp. 113–. ISBN 978-1-74266-464-4. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  15. ^ Michael S. Roth, Charles G. Salas; Charles G. Salas (2001). Disturbing Remains: Memory, History, and Crisis in the Twentieth Century. Getty Publications. pp. 45–. ISBN 978-0-89236-538-8. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  16. ^ Das P.K., Pramod Kumar Das; Pramod Kumar Das (1 August 2007). Famous Murder Trials: Covering More Than 75 Murder Cases in India. Universal Law Publishing Company Pvt. Limited. pp. 33–. ISBN 978-81-7534-605-5. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  17. ^ Mark Kesselman; Joel Krieger; William A. Joseph (1 January 2012). Introduction to Comparative Politics, Brief Edition. Cengage Learning. pp. 147–. ISBN 978-1-111-83417-3. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  18. ^ "Oxford University's famous south Asian graduates#Indira Gandhi". BBC News. 5 May 2010. 
  19. ^ Rupa Bose (3 March 2009). India Business Checklists: An Essential Guide to Doing Business. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 16–. ISBN 978-0-470-82421-4. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  20. ^ Suren P. Agrawal; S.P. Agrawal And J.C. Aggarwal (1 January 1990). Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha Elections, 1989-1990: Process and Result, With Comparative Study of Manifestoes. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 197–. ISBN 978-81-7022-314-6. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  21. ^ Parliament of India, the Ninth Lok Sabha, 1989-1991: A Study. Northern Book Centre. 1992. pp. 9–. ISBN 978-81-7211-019-2. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  22. ^ N.D. Arora. Political Science for Civil Services Main Examination. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. pp. 6–. ISBN 978-0-07-009094-1. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  23. ^ Alaknanda Shringare (2009). Party Politics and Democratic Governance in India. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 73–. ISBN 978-81-8069-569-8. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  24. ^ Roshen Dalal (1 October 2003). The Puffin History of India for Children Vol. 2. 1947 to Present. Penguin Books India. pp. 283–. ISBN 978-0-14-333546-7. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  25. ^ a b Amita Shastri; A. Jeyaratnam Wilson (5 October 2001). The Post-Colonial States of South Asia: Democracy, Development and Identity. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 24–. ISBN 978-0-312-23852-0. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  26. ^ R. C. Rajamani. Portraits of India's Parliamentarians for the New Millennium: Lok Sabha. Gyan Books. pp. 243–. ISBN 978-81-212-0702-7. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  27. ^ Dale Hoiberg Indu Ramchandani (2000). Student’s Britannica: India (Set of 7 Vols.) 39. Popular Prakashan. pp. 223–. ISBN 978-0-85229-760-5. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  28. ^ Indian Administration. Global Vision Publishing Ho. pp. 609–. ISBN 978-81-8220-241-2. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  29. ^ Pratiyogita Darpan (July 2009). Pratiyogita Darpan. Pratiyogita Darpan. pp. 9–. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  30. ^ Mahendra Gaur. Political Parties. Gyan Publishing House. pp. 992–. ISBN 978-81-7835-539-9. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  31. ^ Edgar Thorpe, Showick thorpe; Thorpe Edgar. Concise General Knowledge Manual. Pearson Education India. pp. 312–. ISBN 978-81-317-5512-9. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  32. ^ "India Selects Nehru as Prime Minister". Los Angeles Times. 12 May 1952. 
  33. ^ a b "Nanda". The Virgin Islands Daily News. 12 January 1966. 
  34. ^ Thomas F. Brady (2 June 1964). "Shastri Is Elected by Party As India's Prime Minister". The New York Times. 
  35. ^ "Mrs. Gandhi wins handily in Party vote". Milwaukee Journal. 19 January 1966. 
  36. ^ "Desai, 81, Succeeds Mrs. Gandhi". Milwaukee Journal. 24 March 1977. 
  37. ^ "Dour farm leader of 76 named as India's fifth PM". Montreal Gazette. 27 July 1979. 
  38. ^ "Indira Gandhi claims victory". Anchorage Daily News. 8 January 1980. 
  39. ^ Sanjoy Hazarika (1 January 1985). "Rajiv Gandhi Becomes Prime Minister Amid Thunderous Applause". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 
  40. ^ Barbara Crossette (2 December 1989). "INDIAN OPPOSITION CHOOSES A PREMIER". The New York Times. 
  41. ^ Sanjoy Hazarika (10 November 1990). "Rival of Singh Becomes India Premier". The New York Times. 
  42. ^ Bernard Weinraub (22 June 1991). "MAN IN THE News; Congress Party's Calculating Loyalist: Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao". The New York Times. 
  43. ^ a b John F. Burns (29 May 1996). "Hindu Nationalist Cabinet Quits in India as Defeat Looms". The New York Times. 
  44. ^ John F. Burns (22 April 1997). "New Indian Leader Pledges To Press Economic Changes". The New York Times. 
  45. ^ John F. Burns (20 March 1998). "Man in the News: Atal Bihari Vajpayee; Sworn In as India's Leader, Ambiguity in His Wake". The New York Times. 
  46. ^ Amy Waldman (23 May 2004). "India Swears In 13th Prime Minister and First Sikh in Job". The New York Times. 
Constitution
Emblem of India
Executive
Legislative
Judiciary
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Prime_Ministers_of_India&oldid=556691976"