Prime Minister Narendra Modi has surpassed former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to become India’s second-longest serving premier in consecutive terms.
As of Friday, Modi has completed 4,078 days in office, moving past Gandhi’s uninterrupted tenure of 4,077 days from January 24, 1966, to March 24, 1977.
At 74, Modi is the first prime minister born in Independent India. He first took office on May 26, 2014, and was sworn in for his third consecutive term in June 2024. He now trails only Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, who served 16 years and 286 days from August 15, 1947, to May 27, 1964.
Modi is also the longest-serving PM from a non-Congress party. Prior to becoming prime minister, he was Gujarat’s longest-serving chief minister, holding office from 2001 to 2014.
The BJP, under Modi’s leadership, secured a majority in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections and formed the government for a third term in 2024 with NDA support, despite falling short of an outright majority.
