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Modi Surpasses Indira Gandhi as India’s Second-Longest Serving Prime Minister

His 4,078-day unbroken term, which began in 2014, reflects a generational shift that makes him the first prime minister born after independence to serve longer than any non-Congress predecessor.

PM Narendra Modi
Illustration: Manali Ghosh/ThePrint

Overview

  • Modi’s tenure reached 4,078 uninterrupted days on July 25, overtaking Indira Gandhi’s record and positioning him second only to Jawaharlal Nehru.
  • He is the only Indian leader to secure six straight electoral wins as party chief—three in Gujarat assembly elections and three consecutive Lok Sabha polls.
  • Modi stands as the sole non-Congress prime minister to complete two full terms and achieve outright Lok Sabha majorities in both 2014 and 2019, the first to do so since 1971.
  • Born in 1950, he is the first prime minister from independent India and the longest-serving head of government from a non-Hindi-speaking state.
  • In June 2024, the BJP emerged as the largest party again, enabling Modi to begin a third straight term through the National Democratic Alliance despite lacking an outright majority.