Modi Surpasses Indira Gandhi to Become India’s Second-Longest Serving PM in Consecutive Terms

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday will become India’s second-longest serving prime minister in uninterrupted terms, completing 4,078 consecutive days in office — surpassing Indira Gandhi’s tenure from 1966 to 1977, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Modi, 74, who first took office on May 26, 2014, is now only behind India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who held the post for 16 years and 286 days from August 15, 1947 to May 27, 1964.

The milestone comes as Modi begins his third consecutive term, having been sworn in again in June 2024. He remains the longest-serving prime minister from a non-Congress party and the only such leader to complete two full terms and secure a third.

Indira Gandhi, whose uninterrupted tenure lasted 4,077 days between January 24, 1966 and March 24, 1977, also served a second stint from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.

Before becoming prime minister, Modi was Gujarat’s longest-serving chief minister from 2001 to 2014.

In 2014, Modi led the BJP to a majority in the Lok Sabha with 272 seats. In 2019, the party expanded its majority to 303. While the BJP fell short of a simple majority in the 2024 election, it remained the largest party and retained power with the backing of its NDA allies.

“He is the only non-Congress prime minister to win three consecutive Lok Sabha elections and the first since Indira Gandhi in 1971 to be re-elected while in office with a majority,” the person cited said.