BharatNotes
Constitutional Basis
| Article | Provision |
|---|---|
| Art. 74 | Council of Ministers with PM at head to aid and advise the President; President may ask for reconsideration once but must act on re-tendered advice |
| Art. 75(1) | PM appointed by the President; other ministers appointed on PM's advice |
| Art. 75(3) | Council of Ministers collectively responsible to Lok Sabha |
| Art. 75(1A) | Total ministers (including PM) shall not exceed 15% of Lok Sabha strength (added by 91st Amendment, 2003) |
| Art. 78 | PM's duty to communicate all Cabinet decisions to the President; furnish information on request; refer individual-minister decisions to Cabinet if President requires |
Exam tip: Article 74 makes ministerial advice binding on the President (after any reconsideration). Courts cannot inquire into what advice was tendered (Art. 74(2)).
Complete List of Prime Ministers of India (1947–Present)
India has had 14 individuals serve as Prime Minister. Gulzarilal Nanda served twice as interim/acting PM and is counted separately in sequential numbering, giving 15 PM tenures in total.
| # | Name | Party | Tenure (Start → End) | Duration | State / Constituency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jawaharlal Nehru | INC | 15 Aug 1947 → 27 May 1964 | ~16 yrs 9 mo | UP — Phulpur (later Allahabad) |
| 2 | Gulzarilal Nanda (Acting) | INC | 27 May 1964 → 9 Jun 1964 | 13 days | Gujarat — Sabarkantha |
| 3 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | INC | 9 Jun 1964 → 11 Jan 1966 | ~1 yr 7 mo | UP — Allahabad |
| 4 | Gulzarilal Nanda (Acting, 2nd time) | INC | 11 Jan 1966 → 24 Jan 1966 | 13 days | Gujarat — Sabarkantha |
| 5 | Indira Gandhi | INC | 24 Jan 1966 → 24 Mar 1977 | ~11 yrs 2 mo | UP — Rae Bareli (later Medak) |
| 6 | Morarji Desai | Janata Party | 24 Mar 1977 → 28 Jul 1979 | ~2 yrs 4 mo | Gujarat — Surat |
| 7 | Charan Singh | Janata Party (S) | 28 Jul 1979 → 14 Jan 1980 | ~170 days | UP — Baghpat |
| 8 | Indira Gandhi (2nd term) | INC | 14 Jan 1980 → 31 Oct 1984 | ~4 yrs 9 mo | UP — Medak (Andhra Pradesh) |
| 9 | Rajiv Gandhi | INC | 31 Oct 1984 → 2 Dec 1989 | ~5 yrs 1 mo | UP — Amethi |
| 10 | V.P. Singh | Janata Dal | 2 Dec 1989 → 10 Nov 1990 | ~11 months | UP — Fatehpur |
| 11 | Chandra Shekhar | Janata Dal (S) | 10 Nov 1990 → 21 Jun 1991 | ~7 months | UP — Ballia |
| 12 | P.V. Narasimha Rao | INC | 21 Jun 1991 → 16 May 1996 | ~4 yrs 11 mo | Andhra Pradesh — Nandyal |
| 13 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1st term) | BJP | 16 May 1996 → 1 Jun 1996 | 13 days | UP — Lucknow |
| 14 | H.D. Deve Gowda | Janata Dal | 1 Jun 1996 → 21 Apr 1997 | ~324 days | Karnataka — Hassan |
| 15 | I.K. Gujral | Janata Dal | 21 Apr 1997 → 19 Mar 1998 | ~11 months | Punjab — Jalandhar (RS) |
| 16 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (2nd term) | BJP | 19 Mar 1998 → 13 Oct 1999 | ~7 months | UP — Lucknow |
| 17 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (3rd term) | BJP | 13 Oct 1999 → 22 May 2004 | ~4 yrs 7 mo | UP — Lucknow |
| 18 | Manmohan Singh | INC | 22 May 2004 → 26 May 2014 | 10 yrs | Assam (Rajya Sabha) |
| 19 | Narendra Modi (1st term) | BJP | 26 May 2014 → 30 May 2019 | 5 years | Gujarat — Vadodara / Varanasi |
| 20 | Narendra Modi (2nd term) | BJP | 30 May 2019 → 9 Jun 2024 | 5 years | UP — Varanasi |
| 21 | Narendra Modi (3rd term) | BJP | 9 Jun 2024 → Present | Ongoing | UP — Varanasi |
Note on numbering: When counting individuals only, India has had 14 PMs. When counting tenures (including re-appointments and Nanda's two stints), the count rises. Most UPSC sources call Modi the 14th Prime Minister.
Key Profiles — Critical Facts for UPSC
1. Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–1964)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Served as PM | 15 Aug 1947 – 27 May 1964 |
| Longest-serving PM | ~16 years 9 months |
| Party | Indian National Congress |
| Constituency | Phulpur (1952); Allahabad (1957, 1962) |
| Died in office | 27 May 1964 — first PM to die in office |
| Key policies | Panchsheel (1954); Non-Alignment; Five-Year Plans; IITs established; Hindi–China Bhai Bhai → 1962 war with China |
| Key legislation | Hindu Code Bills (1955–56); Industrial Policy Resolution 1956 |
| Firsts | First PM of independent India; First PM to die in office; Nehru-Gandhi dynasty founder |
2. Gulzarilal Nanda (1964, 1966 — Acting PM)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1st stint | 27 May 1964 – 9 Jun 1964 (13 days) — after Nehru's death |
| 2nd stint | 11 Jan 1966 – 24 Jan 1966 (13 days) — after Shastri's death in Tashkent |
| Party | INC |
| Constituency | Sabarkantha, Gujarat |
| Shortest tenure | ~13 days each time; shortest-serving PM (acting) |
| Note | Served as Acting PM, not constitutionally designated as such — appointed as PM pending election of successor by Congress Parliamentary Party |
3. Lal Bahadur Shastri (1964–1966)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Served as PM | 9 Jun 1964 – 11 Jan 1966 |
| Party | INC |
| Constituency | Allahabad, UP |
| Died in office | 11 Jan 1966 — died in Tashkent, USSR (now Uzbekistan), the day after signing the Tashkent Declaration ending the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War |
| Key events | 1965 Indo-Pakistan War; Tashkent Agreement (signed 10 Jan 1966); Green Revolution foundation; "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" slogan |
| Posthumous honour | Bharat Ratna (1966) — first posthumous Bharat Ratna recipient |
4. Indira Gandhi (1966–1977, 1980–1984)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1st term | 24 Jan 1966 – 24 Mar 1977 |
| 2nd term | 14 Jan 1980 – 31 Oct 1984 |
| Party | INC |
| Constituency | Rae Bareli (1st term); Medak, Andhra Pradesh (2nd term) |
| First woman PM of India | Only woman PM to date |
| Assassinated | 31 Oct 1984, at her New Delhi residence (1 Safdarjung Road) by her own bodyguards Beant Singh and Satwant Singh in retaliation for Operation Blue Star (Jun 1984) |
| Key events | Bank nationalisation (1969); Bangladesh Liberation War (1971); Pokhran-I nuclear test (1974); Emergency (1975–77) — most controversial act; Operation Blue Star (Jun 1984) — storming of Golden Temple |
| Key legislation | Privy Purses abolition (1971); 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976) — "Mini Constitution" |
| Expulsion & return | Lost 1977 election after Emergency; expelled from Congress; returned to power 1980 after Congress (I) landslide |
| Posthumous honour | Bharat Ratna (1971, while in office — rare) |
5. Morarji Desai (1977–1979)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Served as PM | 24 Mar 1977 – 28 Jul 1979 |
| Party | Janata Party |
| Constituency | Surat, Gujarat |
| First non-Congress PM | First PM from outside Indian National Congress |
| Born | 29 Feb 1896 — oldest person to become PM (aged 81) |
| Resigned | 28 Jul 1979 — after coalition collapse within Janata Party |
| Key events | Revocation of Emergency; 44th Constitutional Amendment (1978) — reversed 42nd Amendment excesses; restoration of press freedom |
| Former role | Deputy PM under Indira Gandhi (1967–69) |
| Honour | Nishan-e-Pakistan (Pakistan's highest civilian award) |
6. Charan Singh (1979–1980)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Served as PM | 28 Jul 1979 – 14 Jan 1980 (~170 days) |
| Party | Janata Party (Secular) / Lok Dal |
| Constituency | Baghpat, UP |
| Never faced Parliament | Resigned on 20 Aug 1979 (just 23 days into tenure) after Congress withdrew support; continued as caretaker PM until 14 Jan 1980 — only PM in India's history who never addressed Parliament |
| Reason for fall | Congress (I) demanded withdrawal of cases against Sanjay Gandhi (Emergency-era); Charan Singh refused |
| Key note | Was Deputy PM under Morarji Desai before becoming PM |
| Posthumous honour | Bharat Ratna (2024) |
7. Rajiv Gandhi (1984–1989)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Served as PM | 31 Oct 1984 – 2 Dec 1989 |
| Party | INC |
| Constituency | Amethi, UP |
| Youngest PM of India | Took office aged 40 years |
| Assassinated | 21 May 1991 (not while in office) — killed at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu by LTTE suicide bomber Thenmozhi Rajaratnam (Dhanu) during 1991 election campaign |
| 1984 election mandate | Congress won 404 seats in Lok Sabha — largest ever mandate in Indian history (sympathy wave after Indira's assassination) |
| Key events | Bhopal Gas Tragedy handling (Dec 1984); Anti-Sikh Riots; Punjab Accord (1985); Rajiv-Longowal Accord; Mizo Peace Accord (1986); Shah Bano case and Muslim Women Act (1986); 73rd & 74th CAAs introduced (passed 1992 under Rao); liberalisation of telecom and computers; SAARC; Bofors scandal |
| Posthumous honour | Bharat Ratna (1991) |
8. V.P. Singh (1989–1990)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Served as PM | 2 Dec 1989 – 10 Nov 1990 |
| Party | Janata Dal |
| Constituency | Fatehpur, UP |
| Government type | Minority government; supported by BJP and Left from outside |
| Key event | Implementation of Mandal Commission recommendations (27% OBC reservation in central government jobs) — triggered nationwide agitation; L.K. Advani's Rath Yatra; government fell when BJP withdrew support |
9. Chandra Shekhar (1990–1991)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Served as PM | 10 Nov 1990 – 21 Jun 1991 |
| Party | Janata Dal (Socialist) / Samajwadi Janata Party |
| Constituency | Ballia, UP |
| Government type | Minority government; outside support from Congress (I) |
| Resigned | 6 Mar 1991 after Congress withdrew support; continued as caretaker |
| Key event | India's BoP crisis (1991) — gold pledged to Bank of England and Bank of Japan; handed over to Rao to implement liberalisation |
10. P.V. Narasimha Rao (1991–1996)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Served as PM | 21 Jun 1991 – 16 May 1996 |
| Party | INC |
| Constituency | Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh |
| First PM from South India | First non-Hindi-speaking PM |
| Architect of 1991 Economic Reforms | New Economic Policy (LPG — Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation) with FM Manmohan Singh |
| Key legislation | 73rd & 74th Constitutional Amendments (1992) — Panchayati Raj & Urban Local Bodies; Securities Laws reform; FEMA |
| Other events | Babri Masjid demolition (6 Dec 1992); Pokhran-related decisions; Look East Policy |
| Note | First PM to lead a minority government to full term |
| Posthumous honour | Bharat Ratna (2024) |
11. Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1996; 1998–99; 1999–2004)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1st term | 16 May 1996 – 1 Jun 1996 (13 days — resigned before trust vote) |
| 2nd term | 19 Mar 1998 – 13 Oct 1999 (~7 months — fell by one vote in confidence motion, 17 Apr 1999) |
| 3rd term | 13 Oct 1999 – 22 May 2004 (~4.5 years — full NDA majority) |
| Party | BJP |
| Constituency | Lucknow, UP |
| Key events | Pokhran-II nuclear tests (May 1998) — Operation Shakti; Kargil War (1999); Lahore Bus Yatra (1999); Golden Quadrilateral highway project; National Highways Development Project; National Rural Health Mission (seeds); Parliament Attack (Dec 2001); Godhra riots (2002) |
| Key legislation | POTA (2002); Fiscal Responsibility & Budget Management Act (2003) |
| Honour | Bharat Ratna (2015, posthumously) |
| Notable | First PM from BJP to complete a full term (3rd term); orator and poet |
12. H.D. Deve Gowda (1996–1997)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Served as PM | 1 Jun 1996 – 21 Apr 1997 (~324 days) |
| Party | Janata Dal (United Front coalition) |
| State | Karnataka — Hassan constituency |
| Government | Minority United Front coalition; outside support from INC |
| Fell | Congress withdrew support; replaced by Gujral |
| Notable | First PM from Karnataka; consensus candidate of Third Front |
13. I.K. Gujral (1997–1998)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Served as PM | 21 Apr 1997 – 19 Mar 1998 (~11 months) |
| Party | Janata Dal |
| Seat | Rajya Sabha (represented Punjab / Jalandhar) |
| Key policy | Gujral Doctrine — India should give unilaterally to neighbours without reciprocity (non-reciprocal concessions to Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives) |
| Fell | Congress withdrew support citing Jain Commission report linking Janata Dal ally DMK to Rajiv Gandhi assassination |
14. Manmohan Singh (2004–2014)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Served as PM | 22 May 2004 – 26 May 2014 |
| Party | INC (UPA coalition) |
| Seat | Rajya Sabha from Assam — never won a Lok Sabha seat |
| First Sikh PM | First PM from a religious minority community |
| Background | Oxford-trained economist; as Finance Minister (1991) architected LPG reforms |
| Second full-term PM after Nehru | First PM after Nehru to be re-elected for a consecutive term after completing 5 years (2004–09, 2009–14) |
| Key events | Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal (2008); MGNREGA (2005); RTI Act (2005); Food Security Act (2013); Aadhaar launch; 2G spectrum controversy; Commonwealth Games controversy; UPA-2 coalition challenges |
| Death | Died 26 December 2024, aged 92, at AIIMS Delhi due to age-related illness |
15. Narendra Modi (2014–Present)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1st term | 26 May 2014 – 30 May 2019 |
| 2nd term | 30 May 2019 – 9 Jun 2024 |
| 3rd term | 9 Jun 2024 – Present (as of April 2026) |
| Party | BJP (NDA coalition) |
| Constituency | Vadodara & Varanasi (2014); Varanasi (2019, 2024) |
| Born | 17 Sep 1950, Vadnagar, Gujarat |
| First PM born after Independence | Independence was 15 Aug 1947; Modi born Sep 1950 |
| Second-longest serving after Nehru | Surpassed Indira Gandhi's combined tenure during 3rd term |
| First non-Congress leader to win 3 consecutive general elections | 2014, 2019, 2024 |
| Former role | Chief Minister of Gujarat (2001–2014) |
| Key policies | Demonetisation (Nov 2016); GST (Jul 2017); Swachh Bharat Mission; Jan Dhan Yojana; Make in India; Digital India; Ayushman Bharat; Smart Cities; Article 370 abrogation (Aug 2019); CAA (Dec 2019); COVID-19 pandemic management; Ram Mandir consecration (Jan 2024); Atmanirbhar Bharat |
Records and Firsts — High-Yield UPSC Facts
| Record | PM | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| First PM | Jawaharlal Nehru | 15 Aug 1947 |
| Longest-serving PM | Jawaharlal Nehru | ~16 yrs 9 mo (1947–1964) |
| Shortest-serving PM (individual, elected) | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 13 days (May–Jun 1996, resigned before trust vote) |
| Shortest-serving Acting PM | Gulzarilal Nanda | 13 days (twice — 1964 and 1966) |
| First woman PM | Indira Gandhi | 24 Jan 1966 |
| Youngest PM | Rajiv Gandhi | Took office aged 40 (31 Oct 1984) |
| Oldest PM | Morarji Desai | Took office aged 81 (24 Mar 1977) — also world record |
| First non-Congress PM | Morarji Desai | Janata Party, 1977 |
| First PM from South India | P.V. Narasimha Rao | Andhra Pradesh, 1991 |
| First Sikh PM | Manmohan Singh | 2004; first from any minority religion |
| First PM born after Independence | Narendra Modi | Born 17 Sep 1950 |
| Only PM who never faced Parliament | Charan Singh | Resigned 23 days in; governed as caretaker for ~170 days total |
| PMs who died in office | Nehru (1964), Shastri (1966), Indira Gandhi (1984) | Three PMs died in office |
| PMs assassinated | Indira Gandhi (1984), Rajiv Gandhi (1991) | Indira while in office; Rajiv as former PM during election campaign |
| PM who died abroad | Lal Bahadur Shastri | Died in Tashkent, USSR (now Uzbekistan), 11 Jan 1966 |
| Nehru–Gandhi dynasty PMs | Nehru, Indira, Rajiv | Three generations (grandfather–daughter–son) |
| PM never elected to Lok Sabha | Manmohan Singh | Served via Rajya Sabha (Assam) throughout tenure |
| Acting PM (only person to serve twice) | Gulzarilal Nanda | 1964 and 1966 — only acting PM in India's history |
PMs Who Died in Office or Were Assassinated
| PM | Date | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|
| Jawaharlal Nehru | 27 May 1964 | Died of natural causes (heart attack) in New Delhi |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri | 11 Jan 1966 | Died in Tashkent, USSR — cause disputed (likely heart attack); day after signing Tashkent Declaration |
| Indira Gandhi | 31 Oct 1984 | Assassinated at her residence, New Delhi, by bodyguards Beant Singh and Satwant Singh — retaliation for Operation Blue Star (assault on Golden Temple, Amritsar, Jun 1984) |
| Rajiv Gandhi | 21 May 1991 | Assassinated (as former PM) at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu by LTTE suicide bomber Thenmozhi Rajaratnam (alias Dhanu) during 1991 general election campaign |
Deputy Prime Ministers of India (Complete List)
The office of Deputy Prime Minister is not mentioned in the Constitution — it is an extra-constitutional position. There have been 7 Deputy PMs since 1947. The post has been vacant since 22 May 2004.
| # | Deputy PM | Party | PM Served Under | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vallabhbhai Patel | INC | Nehru | 15 Aug 1947 – 15 Dec 1950 (died in office; longest Deputy PM) |
| 2 | Morarji Desai | INC | Indira Gandhi | 13 Mar 1967 – 16 Jul 1969 |
| 3 | Charan Singh | INC/BLD | Morarji Desai | 24 Jan 1979 – 28 Jul 1979 |
| 4 | Jagjivan Ram | INC/Janata | Morarji Desai | 24 Jan 1979 – 28 Jul 1979 |
| 5 | Y.B. Chavan | INC (I) | Charan Singh | 28 Jul 1979 – 14 Jan 1980 |
| 6 | Devi Lal | Janata Dal | V.P. Singh / Chandra Shekhar | 2 Dec 1989 – 21 Jun 1991 |
| 7 | L.K. Advani | BJP | Vajpayee | 29 Jun 2002 – 22 May 2004 |
Exam trap: Both Morarji Desai and Charan Singh served as Deputy PM before becoming PM themselves. Vallabhbhai Patel was the longest-serving Deputy PM and the first. The post has been vacant since May 2004.
Nehru–Gandhi Dynasty
| PM | Relation | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Jawaharlal Nehru | — (dynasty founder) | 1947–1964 |
| Indira Gandhi | Daughter of Nehru | 1966–77; 1980–84 |
| Rajiv Gandhi | Son of Indira; Grandson of Nehru | 1984–89 |
Note: Rajiv Gandhi's surname "Gandhi" is coincidental — he was not related to Mahatma Gandhi. His wife Sonia Gandhi (née Maino) is Italian-born. Son Rahul Gandhi has not become PM as of April 2026.
PMs with Notable "Firsts" in Context
| PM | "First" |
|---|---|
| Nehru | First PM; first PM from INC; first PM to die in office |
| Nanda | Only acting PM; only person to be PM twice without being elected PM |
| Shastri | First PM to die abroad; Bharat Ratna posthumously |
| Indira Gandhi | First (and only) woman PM |
| Morarji Desai | First non-Congress PM; oldest PM; only PM to receive Nishan-e-Pakistan |
| Charan Singh | Only PM never to face Parliament |
| Rajiv Gandhi | Youngest PM (40 years); largest mandate in history (404 seats, 1984) |
| Narasimha Rao | First South Indian PM; first PM from non-Hindi speaking region to complete full term; minority government to full term |
| Deve Gowda | First PM from Karnataka |
| Manmohan Singh | First Sikh PM; first minority-community PM; only PM from Rajya Sabha throughout; second PM after Nehru to complete consecutive terms |
| Narendra Modi | First PM born after Independence; first non-Congress leader with 3 consecutive terms; second-longest serving PM |
Exam Traps — Frequently Confused Facts
Tenure traps:
- Nehru = longest serving (~16 yrs 9 mo); Nanda = shortest (13 days, but only acting PM)
- Vajpayee = shortest among elected PMs with a substantive (non-interim) term (13 days, 1996 first term)
- Charan Singh = 170 days total as PM but actually resigned after 23 days and governed as caretaker; never faced Parliament
- Manmohan Singh's 10-year tenure (2004–2014) makes him the third-longest serving PM after Nehru and Indira Gandhi
Death/Assassination traps:
- Shastri died in Tashkent (USSR), not in India — cause of death officially cardiac arrest, but circumstances remain disputed
- Indira Gandhi assassinated by own bodyguards (Beant Singh and Satwant Singh), not by LTTE
- Rajiv Gandhi assassinated by LTTE, at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, but he was not PM at the time — he was former PM and Congress candidate
Party traps:
- Morarji Desai = Janata Party (not Congress), first non-Congress PM
- V.P. Singh = Janata Dal; Chandra Shekhar = Janata Dal (Socialist)/Samajwadi Janata Party; Deve Gowda and Gujral = Janata Dal — all distinct factions
- IK Gujral = Janata Dal, supported by Congress — not from Congress
Constituency traps:
- Manmohan Singh never won a Lok Sabha seat — only PM to serve entirely from Rajya Sabha
- Indira Gandhi's 2nd term constituency was Medak, Andhra Pradesh (not Rae Bareli; she lost Rae Bareli in 1977)
- Nehru's first seat: Phulpur (not Allahabad — he moved to Allahabad from 1957)
Other traps:
- Modi born 17 Sep 1950 — first PM born after Independence (15 Aug 1947). Every prior PM was born before 1947.
- Deputy PM post: not constitutional — no Article defines it; currently vacant since 2004
- Rajiv Gandhi ≠ relation of Mahatma Gandhi — different families entirely
Qualifications and Eligibility for PM
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Must be | Indian citizen |
| Must be member of | Lok Sabha OR Rajya Sabha (can be from either house) |
| If not MP at time of appointment | Must become MP within 6 months |
| Age | No specific minimum age stated for PM; must be qualified for Lok Sabha membership (i.e., 25+ for LS, 30+ for RS) |
| Not eligible | Person holding office of profit under government |
| Collective responsibility | Council of Ministers collectively responsible to Lok Sabha only (not Rajya Sabha) |
Quick Recall Mnemonic — Order of PMs
N-N-G-D-G | C-V-P-D-G | V-R-N-V | M-M
| Letters | PM |
|---|---|
| N | Nehru |
| N | Nanda (1st) |
| G | Gulzarilal Nanda (note: same N — 2nd stint, listed here as "Nanda 2") |
| L | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| N | Nanda (2nd stint) |
| I | Indira Gandhi (1st term) |
| M | Morarji Desai |
| C | Charan Singh |
| I | Indira Gandhi (2nd term) |
| R | Rajiv Gandhi |
| V | V.P. Singh |
| C | Chandra Shekhar |
| N | Narasimha Rao |
| V | Vajpayee (three terms) |
| D | Deve Gowda |
| G | Gujral |
| M | Manmohan Singh |
| N | Narendra Modi |
Simplified memory device for order (individual PMs only, ignoring repeat terms): Nehru → Nanda (×2, acting) → Shastri → Indira (×2) → Morarji → Charan → Rajiv → VP → ChandraShekar → Narasimha → Vajpayee → Deve Gowda → Gujral → Manmohan → Modi
