List of All Prime Ministers of India (1947–2026)
Every person who has served as Prime Minister of India since Independence — from Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947 to Narendra Modi today — with exact tenure dates.
Quick answers
- First PM
- Jawaharlal Nehru (from 15 August 1947)
- Current PM
- Narendra Modi (since 26 May 2014)
- Longest-serving
- Jawaharlal Nehru (about 16 years 9 months)
- Shortest tenure
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee's first term — 16 days in 1996
- Total
- 14 people have served as PM (plus Gulzarilal Nanda twice as acting PM)
Full list, in order
| # | Prime Minister | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jawaharlal Nehru | 15 Aug 1947 | 27 May 1964 |
| — | Gulzarilal Nanda (acting) | 27 May 1964 | 9 Jun 1964 |
| 2 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | 9 Jun 1964 | 11 Jan 1966 |
| — | Gulzarilal Nanda (acting) | 11 Jan 1966 | 24 Jan 1966 |
| 3 | Indira Gandhi | 24 Jan 1966 | 24 Mar 1977 |
| 4 | Morarji Desai | 24 Mar 1977 | 28 Jul 1979 |
| 5 | Charan Singh | 28 Jul 1979 | 14 Jan 1980 |
| — | Indira Gandhi (second term) | 14 Jan 1980 | 31 Oct 1984 |
| 6 | Rajiv Gandhi | 31 Oct 1984 | 2 Dec 1989 |
| 7 | Vishwanath Pratap Singh | 2 Dec 1989 | 10 Nov 1990 |
| 8 | Chandra Shekhar | 10 Nov 1990 | 21 Jun 1991 |
| 9 | P. V. Narasimha Rao | 21 Jun 1991 | 16 May 1996 |
| 10 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 16 May 1996 | 1 Jun 1996 |
| 11 | H. D. Deve Gowda | 1 Jun 1996 | 21 Apr 1997 |
| 12 | Inder Kumar Gujral | 21 Apr 1997 | 19 Mar 1998 |
| — | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (second stint) | 19 Mar 1998 | 22 May 2004 |
| 13 | Manmohan Singh | 22 May 2004 | 26 May 2014 |
| 14 | Narendra Modi | 26 May 2014 | In office |
Sources: PMO — Former Prime Ministers · Wikipedia
Things people often ask
Who was India's first Prime Minister?
Jawaharlal Nehru, who took office on 15 August 1947 — the day India became independent — and served until his death in May 1964. He remains India's longest-serving Prime Minister.
Who is the Prime Minister of India right now?
Narendra Modi, in office since 26 May 2014. He was re-elected in 2019 and again in 2024, and was sworn in for a historic third consecutive term on 9 June 2024 — only the second person after Nehru to win three straight terms. Read his full biography.
How many Prime Ministers has India had?
14 people have served as Prime Minister of India. Gulzarilal Nanda additionally served twice as acting Prime Minister — for thirteen days each in 1964 and 1966, after the deaths of Nehru and Shastri — and is not counted in the substantive sequence.
Who had the shortest time as Prime Minister?
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's first term lasted just 16 days in May–June 1996. He later returned and served a full term from 1998 to 2004.
Explore the current PM's journey 🇮🇳
From Vadnagar to a historic third term.