Deputy Prime Minister of India

Deputy Prime Minister of India
State Emblem of India
Flag of India
Incumbent Vacant since 22 May 2004
Member of	Parliament of India Union Council of Ministers
Nominator	Prime Minister of India
Appointer	President of India
Inaugural holder	Vallabhbhai Patel (1947–1950)
Formation	15 August 1947 (1947-08-15)

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The Deputy Prime Minister of India is a member of the Union Council of Ministers in the Government of India. Not a constitutional office, it seldom carries any specific powers. A deputy prime minister usually also holds a cabinet portfolio such as home minister or finance minister. In the parliamentary system of government, the prime minister is treated as the "first among equals" in the cabinet; the position of deputy prime minister is used to bring political stability and strength within a coalition government or in times of national emergency, when a proper chain of command is necessary.

The office has since been only intermittently occupied, having been occupied for a little more than 11 years out of the 72 years since it's inception. The first Deputy Prime Minister of India was Vallabhbhai Patel, who was also home minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet. The seventh and last deputy prime minister was L. K. Advani, who took on the role in addition to his home ministership from 2002 to 2004 in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government. The current government does not have a Deputy Prime Minister.

On multiple occasions, proposals have arisen to make the post permanent, but without result. The same goes for the post of deputy chief minister at the state level.

History

The first deputy prime minister was Vallabhbhai Patel, who was also home minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet. He occupied the post for 3 years until his death in 1950. The post was vacant until Morarji Desai became the second deputy prime minister in 1967.

L. K. Advani served as the seventh deputy prime minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet from 2002 to 2004. The post has been vacant since 2004.

List of Deputy Prime Ministers of India

Keys

•   Indian National Congress
•   Janata Party
•   Janata Party (Secular)
•   Indian National Congress (Socialist)
•   Janata Dal
•   Samajwadi Janata Party
•   Bharatiya Janata Party

List of Deputy Prime Ministers of India

No.	Officeholder (Portfolio)	Portrait	Term of office			Political party (Alliance)	Prime Minister
1	Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950) (Minister of Home Affairs)		15 August 1947	15 December 1950	3 years, 122 days	Indian National Congress		Jawaharlal Nehru
Vacant (15 December 1950 – 21 March 1967)
2	Morarji Desai (1896–1995) (Minister of Finance)		21 March 1967	6 December 1969	2 years, 260 days	Indian National Congress		Indira Gandhi
Vacant (6 December 1969 – 24 March 1977)
3	Charan Singh (1902–1987) (Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Finance)		24 March 1977	28 July 1979	2 years, 126 days	Janata Party		Morarji Desai
4	Jagjivan Ram (1908–1986) (Minister of Defence)
5	Yashwant Rao Chavan (1913–1984) (Minister of Home Affairs)		28 July 1979	14 January 1980	170 days	Indian National Congress (Socialist)		Charan Singh
Vacant (14 January 1980 – 2 December 1989)
6	Devi Lal (1915–2001) (Minister of Agriculture)		2 December 1989	10 November 1990	1 year, 201 days	Janata Dal (National Front)		Vishwanath Pratap Singh
			10 November 1990	21 June 1991				Chandra Shekhar
Vacant (21 June 1991 – 5 February 2002)
7	L. K. Advani (1927–) (Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions)		5 February 2002	22 May 2004	2 years, 107 days	Bharatiya Janata Party (NDA)		Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Vacant (Since 22 May 2004)

See also

• Deputy Chief Minister