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Prime Ministers of India

The prime minister is the actual head of the country in India, even though we have a president. Most powers rest with the prime minister and he is directly elected by the people and then chosen by his party to lead the country. India has had charismatic leaders as its prime minister as well as down to earth yet made of steel prime ministers like Mr. Shashtri and Mr. Manmohan Singh. The most powerful and charismatic prime minister was perhaps Mrs. Gandhi who won both admiration and awe of the people.

INC - Indian National Congress, JP - Janata Party, JD - Janata Dal
BJP - Bharatiya Janata Party, SJP - Samajwadi Janata Party

No Name From To Party
1 Jawahar Lal Nehru 15 August,
1947
27 May,
1964
INC
2 Shri Gulzarilal Nanda 27 May,
1964
9 June,
1964
INC
3 Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri 9 June,
1964
11 January,
1966
INC
4 Shri Gulzarilal Nanda 11 January,
1966
24 January,
1966
INC
5 Shrimati Indira Gandhi 24 January,
1966
24 March,
1977
INC
6 Shri Morarji Desai 24 March,
1977
28 July,
1979
JP
7 Shri Charan Singh 28 July,
1979
14 January,
1980
JP
8 Shrimati Indira Gandhi 14 January,
1980
31 October,
1984
INC
9 Shri Rajiv Gandhi 31 October,
1984
2 December,
1989
INC
(Indira)
10 Shri Vishwanath Pratap Singh 2 December,
1989
10 November,
1990
JD
11 Shri Chandra Shekhar 10 November,
1990
21 June,
1991
SJP
12 Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao 21 June,
1991
16 May,
1996
INC
13 Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee 16 May,
1996
1 June,
1996
BJP
14 H. D. Deve Gowda 1 June,
1996
21 April,
1997
JD
15 Inder Kumar Gujral 21 April,
1997
19 March,

1998
JD
16 Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee 19 March,
1998
22 May,
2004
BJP
17 Dr. Manmohan Singh 22 May,
2004
26 May,
2014
INC
18 Narendra Modi 26 May,
2014
Incumbent BJP