Prime Ministers of India Flashcards

Chronological flashcards of all Indian Prime Ministers with tenures and major historical milestones.

1: Jawaharlal Nehru (पं. जवाहरलाल नेहरू)
Tenure: 15 Aug 1947 – 27 May 1964 (16 yrs, 286 days)
• 1st and longest-serving Prime Minister of Independent India
• Known as "Chacha Nehru" and the Architect of Modern India
• Celebrated author of "The Discovery of India" & "Glimpses of World History"
2: Gulzarilal Nanda (गुलज़ारीलाल नन्दा)
Tenure: 27 May 1964 – 9 Jun 1964 (13 days)
• 1st Acting Prime Minister of India (sworn in following Nehru's demise)
• Prominent labour economist and recipient of Bharat Ratna (1997)
3: Lal Bahadur Shastri (लाल बहादुर शास्त्री)
Tenure: 9 Jun 1964 – 11 Jan 1966 (1 yr, 216 days)
• Coined the legendary slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan"
• Led India to victory during the 1965 Indo-Pak War
• Signed the Tashkent Declaration; 1st person awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously
4: Gulzarilal Nanda (गुलज़ारीलाल नन्दा)
Tenure: 11 Jan 1966 – 24 Jan 1966 (13 days)
• 2nd tenure as Acting Prime Minister (following Shastri's death in Tashkent)
• Served as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission
5: Indira Gandhi (इन्दिरा गांधी)
Tenure: 24 Jan 1966 – 24 Mar 1977 (11 yrs, 59 days)
• 1st and only female Prime Minister of India
• Led India in 1971 war resulting in liberation of Bangladesh
• Nationalised 14 banks in 1969; Pokhran-I (Smiling Buddha, 1974); Emergency (1975–77)
6: Morarji Desai (मोरारजी देसाई)
Tenure: 24 Mar 1977 – 28 Jul 1979 (2 yrs, 126 days)
• 1st non-Congress Prime Minister of India
• Oldest person to assume the office of PM (age 81)
• Only Indian awarded both Bharat Ratna (India) and Nishan-e-Pakistan (Pakistan)
7: Charan Singh (चौधरी चरण सिंह)
Tenure: 28 Jul 1979 – 14 Jan 1980 (170 days)
• Champion of Indian farmers ("Kisan Leader")
• Only Prime Minister of India who never faced the Parliament during his tenure
• Birthday observed as National Farmers' Day (Kisan Diwas, 23 Dec)
8: Indira Gandhi (इन्दिरा गांधी)
Tenure: 14 Jan 1980 – 31 Oct 1984 (4 yrs, 291 days)
• 2nd non-consecutive tenure as Prime Minister
• Hosted the 9th Asian Games (1982) and NAM Summit (1983) in New Delhi
• Ordered Operation Blue Star (1984); assassinated on 31 Oct 1984
9: Rajiv Gandhi (राजीव गांधी)
Tenure: 31 Oct 1984 – 2 Dec 1989 (5 yrs, 32 days)
• Youngest Prime Minister in Indian history (took office at age 40)
• Spearheaded India's IT, Computer & Telecommunications revolution
• Lowered voting age from 21 to 18 (61st Constitutional Amendment, 1988)
10: V. P. Singh (विश्वनाथ प्रताप सिंह)
Tenure: 2 Dec 1989 – 10 Nov 1990 (343 days)
• Implemented the landmark Mandal Commission Report (27% reservation for OBCs)
• Enacted the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989
11: Chandra Shekhar (चन्द्रशेखर)
Tenure: 10 Nov 1990 – 21 Jun 1991 (223 days)
• Known as the "Young Turk" for his fiery principles and grassroots activism
• 1st PM who had never held any prior ministerial office
12: P. V. Narasimha Rao (पी. वी. नरसिम्हा राव)
Tenure: 21 Jun 1991 – 16 May 1996 (4 yrs, 330 days)
• "Father of Indian Economic Reforms" — pioneered 1991 LPG reforms with Dr. Manmohan Singh
• 1st Prime Minister from South India (Andhra Pradesh)
• Enacted 73rd & 74th Amendments establishing constitutional Panchayati Raj & Municipalities
13: Atal Bihari Vajpayee (अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी)
Tenure: 16 May 1996 – 1 Jun 1996 (16 days)
• 1st BJP Prime Minister; shortest single tenure in Indian history (16 days)
• Resigned gracefully on the floor of the Lok Sabha before confidence vote
14: H. D. Deve Gowda (एच. डी. देवेगौड़ा)
Tenure: 1 Jun 1996 – 21 Apr 1997 (324 days)
• 14th Chief Minister of Karnataka before becoming PM
• Led the 13-party United Front coalition government
15: I. K. Gujral (इन्द्र कुमार गुजराल)
Tenure: 21 Apr 1997 – 19 Mar 1998 (332 days)
• Renowned for the "Gujral Doctrine" of peaceful, non-reciprocal neighbourhood diplomacy
• Active participant in the Quit India Movement (1942)
16: Atal Bihari Vajpayee (अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी)
Tenure: 19 Mar 1998 – 22 May 2004 (6 yrs, 64 days)
• 1st non-Congress PM to complete a full 5-year term (1999–2004)
• Pokhran-II nuclear tests (1998) & Kargil War (1999)
• Launched Golden Quadrilateral highway network & Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
17: Manmohan Singh (डॉ. मनमोहन सिंह)
Tenure: 22 May 2004 – 26 May 2014 (10 yrs, 4 days)
• 1st Sikh Prime Minister and 1st PM since Nehru to complete 2 consecutive terms
• Celebrated economist, former Governor of the RBI and Finance Minister
• Enacted RTI Act (2005), MGNREGA (2005), RTE Act (2009) & Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal (2008)
18: Narendra Modi (नरेन्द्र मोदी)
Tenure: 26 May 2014 – Present
• 1st Prime Minister born in Independent India
• Longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister in Indian history
• 1st non-Congress leader elected to 3 consecutive terms (2014, 2019, 2024)
• Major initiatives: Digital India, Make in India, GST, Ayushman Bharat, Chandrayaan-3