List of prime ministers of India by previous experience

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This is a list of prime ministers of India by previous experience. Offices assumed after assuming the role of Prime Minister

Analysis

Seven Indian prime ministers have been active participants in the Indian independence movement.

None of the Indian prime ministers have served in the Indian Armed Forces. This is unlike many other state leaders.

List


No.	Name	Previous public office held and occuption	Assumed office of Prime Minister
1	Jawaharlal Nehru	Vice President of the Executive Council (2 September 1946 – 15 August 1947) Indian Independence activist Advocate in the Allahabad High Court	15 August 1947
2	Lal Bahadur Shastri	Minister of Home Affairs (4 April 1961 – 29 August 1963) Minister of Railways (1951–1956) Indian Independence activist	9 June 1964
3	Indira Gandhi	Indian Independence activist Minister of Information and Broadcasting (9 June 1964 – 24 January 1966)	24 January 1966
4	Morarji Desai	Deputy Prime Minister of India (13 March 1967 – 16 July 1969) Minister of Finance (13 March 1958 – 29 August 1963; 13 March 1967 – 16 July 1969) Chief Minister of Bombay State (21 April 1952 – 31 October 1956) Indian Independence activist	24 March 1977
5	Charan Singh	Deputy Prime Minister of India (24 January 1979 – 28 July 1979) Minister of Finance (24 January 1979 – 28 July 1979) Minister of Home Affairs (24 March 1977 – 1 July 1978) Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (3 April 1967 – 25 February 1968) Indian Independence activist	28 July 1979
6	Rajiv Gandhi	Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha (17 August 1981 – 21 May 1991)	31 October 1984
7	V. P. Singh	Minister of Finance (31 December 1984 – 23 January 1987) Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha (December 1984 – April 1987) Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (1983–1988) Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (9 June 1980 – 19 July 1982)	2 December 1989
8	Chandra Shekhar	Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha	10 November 1990
9	P. V. Narasimha Rao	Minister of Home Affairs (19 July 1984 – 31 December 1984; 12 March 1986 – 12 May 1986) Minister of External Affairs (14 January 1980 – 19 July 1984; 25 June 1988 – 2 December 1989) Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (30 September 1971 – 10 January 1973)	21 June 1991
10	Atal Bihari Vajpayee	Minister of External Affairs (26 March 1977 – 28 July 1979) Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha) (21 July 1993 – 10 May 1996) (1 June 1996 – 4 December 1997)	16 May 1996 19 March 1998 13 October 1999
11	H. D. Deve Gowda	Chief Minister of Karnataka (11 December 1994 – 31 May 1996)	1 June 1996
12	Inder Kumar Gujral	Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha (June 1996 – November 1996) Minister of External Affairs (5 December 1989 – 10 November 1990; 1 June 1996 – 19 March 1998) Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union (1976–1980) Minister of Information and Broadcasting (1973–1975) Indian Independence activist	21 April 1997
13	Manmohan Singh	Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha (21 March 1998 – 21 May 2004) Minister of Finance (21 June 1991 – 16 May 1996) Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission (15 January 1985 – 31 August 1987) Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (15 September 1982 – 15 January 1985) Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India (1972–1976)	22 May 2004
14	Narendra Modi	Chief Minister of Gujarat (7 October 2001 – 22 May 2014)	26 May 2014

References

^ "Man in the News; Devoted Aide to Nehru Lal Bahadur Shastri". The New York Times. 25 January 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
^ Hazarika, Sanjoy (11 April 1995). "Morarji Desai Dies at 99; Defeated Indira Gandhi to Become Premier of India". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
"Morarji Desai, 81, Becomes India's Prime Minister". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
"Former Prime Ministers: Shri Rajiv Gandhi". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
"Former Prime Ministers: Shri Vishwanath Pratap Singh". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
Bhushan, Bharat (30 November 2012). "Obituary: Inder Kumar Gujral". BBC News. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
^ "Former Prime Ministers: Shri Inder Kumar Gujral". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
^ "Former Prime Ministers: Dr. Manmohan Singh". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
"The Hindu foot soldier who became prime minister". BBC News. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.

v t e Prime Minister of India
List By previous experience
Prime ministers	Jawaharlal Nehru Lal Bahadur Shastri Premiership Indira Gandhi Morarji Desai Premiership Charan Singh Rajiv Gandhi V. P. Singh Premiership Chandra Shekhar P. V. Narasimha Rao Atal Bihari Vajpayee Premiership H. D. Deve Gowda Inder Kumar Gujral Manmohan Singh Narendra Modi (Incumbent) Premiership
Acting	Gulzarilal Nanda
Things named after prime ministers Nehru Indira Rajiv Office Residence International trips Nehru Indira Vajpayee Modi Spouses Children Nicknames Category

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