Prime Minister Narendra Modi has officially become the second-longest serving Prime Minister of India in consecutive terms, surpassing the record held by former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
According to international media, as of Friday, Modi has completed 4,078 consecutive days in office, overtaking Gandhi’s uninterrupted tenure of 4,077 days between January 24, 1966 and March 24, 1977.
Modi, 74, who was sworn in for a third consecutive term in June 2024, first assumed office on May 26, 2014.
He is the first Prime Minister born after India’s independence and the longest-serving leader from a non-Congress party. Before becoming Prime Minister, Modi served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 wherein he allegedly supervised attacks on the Muslim community's residential areas.
Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, remains the country’s longest-serving leader, having held office for 16 years and 286 days, from August 15, 1947 until his death on May 27, 1964.
Modi is also the only non-Congress Prime Minister to complete two full terms and be re-elected for a third.
In 2014, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a majority in the Lok Sabha with 272 seats. In 2019, the party got 303 seats. Though BJP fell short of a majority in the 2024 general election, it formed the government with the support of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies.
He is also the first sitting Prime Minister since Indira Gandhi in 1971 to win re-election and only the second leader after Nehru to lead his party to three consecutive general election victories.
