Indian Prime Ministers (1964-2004)

After Nehru's death on May 27, 1964, Gulzari Lal Nanda served as Acting Prime Minister for a brief 13-day period until June 9, 1964, when Lal Bahadur Shastri was sworn in as the permanent PM. Nanda was a senior Congress leader trusted for transitional periods.

Lal Bahadur Shastri served as Prime Minister from June 9, 1964, until his death on January 11, 1966, in Tashkent. He led India during the 1965 war with Pakistan and gave the slogan 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan' (Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer).

After Lal Bahadur Shastri's sudden death on January 11, 1966, Gulzari Lal Nanda again served as Acting Prime Minister for 13 days until January 24, 1966, when Indira Gandhi was sworn in as the first female Prime Minister of India.

Indira Gandhi served as Prime Minister of India from January 24, 1966 to March 24, 1977. This followed the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri and was her first term as PM, lasting until her electoral defeat in 1977. The date range is correctly specified.

Morarji Desai served as Prime Minister of India from March 24, 1977 to July 28, 1979, leading the Janata Party government after the historic 1977 elections that ended Indira Gandhi's emergency rule. He was India's first non-Congress Prime Minister.

Charan Singh served as Prime Minister of India from July 28, 1979 to January 14, 1980, leading a Janata Party (Secular) government. His tenure was brief and ended before the 1980 elections that brought Indira Gandhi back to power.

Indira Gandhi served as Prime Minister of India from January 14, 1980 to October 31, 1984. This was her second term, beginning after her 1980 election victory, and ending with her assassination. Her son Rajiv Gandhi succeeded her.

Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister immediately after his mother Indira Gandhi's assassination on October 31, 1984. He led the Congress government to a full term victory in 1984 and served until December 1, 1989, completing one of the longest continuous tenures as PM in independent India. Indira Gandhi was assassinated on the date this tenure began, so she could not have been PM after that date.

V. P. Singh became Prime Minister on December 2, 1989, leading the National Front government with outside support from Left parties and BJP. His tenure is notable for the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations, which led to widespread protests. He resigned on November 10, 1990 after the BJP withdrew support. Chandra Shekhar became PM after V.P. Singh's resignation.

Chandra Shekhar became Prime Minister on November 11, 1990, with Congress support led by Rajiv Gandhi, forming a minority government after V.P. Singh's resignation. His tenure was very brief and turbulent, lasting only about 7 months until June 21, 1991, when he resigned after Congress withdrew support following Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. P.V. Narasimha Rao became PM after Chandra Shekhar in June 1991.

P. V. Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister on June 21, 1991, after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and Congress's election victory. His tenure is historically significant for launching India's economic liberalization reforms in 1991, which transformed India's economy. He served a full 5-year term until May 16, 1996, becoming the first Congress PM outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to complete a full term. Soniya Gandhi entered politics much later, and Vajpayee became PM in 1996 and later.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee first became Prime Minister on May 16, 1996, leading a short-lived 13-day BJP government that could not muster sufficient support in Parliament. He resigned on June 1, 1996, before facing a vote of confidence, making this one of the shortest PM tenures in Indian history. This brief stint marked Vajpayee's first term as PM; he would return later for longer tenures. P. V. Narasimha Rao's term ended in May 1996, and Sonia Gandhi was not in active politics at this time.

H. D. Deve Gowda became Prime Minister on June 1, 1996, leading the United Front coalition government after Vajpayee's 13-day government fell. He served as the 11th PM of India until April 21, 1997, when his government was replaced by I. K. Gujral within the same United Front coalition. Deve Gowda was the first PM from Karnataka and led a fragile coalition dependent on Congress support. I. K. Gujral took over after Deve Gowda's tenure ended.

I. K. Gujral served as Prime Minister of India from April 21, 1997 to March 18, 1998. He led a coalition government following the resignation of H. D. Deve Gowda. Vajpayee became PM later in 1998, and Sonia Gandhi has never been Prime Minister.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as Prime Minister from March 19, 1998 to October 12, 1999 (his second term). Sanjay Gandhi was never PM, I. K. Gujral served earlier (1997-1998), and H. D. Deve Gowda served before that (1996-1997).

Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as Prime Minister of India from October 13, 1999 to May 22, 2004. He led the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government after the victory in the 1999 general elections. Dr. Manmohan Singh became PM after May 2004, while L.K. Advani was a senior BJP leader but never PM, and Sonia Gandhi was Congress president but did not hold the PM position.