If you have been hearing Narendra Modi variously described as the 14th and the 15th Prime Minister of India, depending on the channel or the news report you watched or read, worry not.
The confusion is only because some of them seem to be counting Gulzari Lal Nanda as the second PM as he was officially the Acting PM before and after Lal Bahadur Shastri (after Nehru's death from 27 May, 1964 to 9 June, 1964 before Shastri's formal swearing in and after Shastri's death, from 11 January 1966 to 24 January 1966, before Indira Gandhi was sworn in).
Not counting Mr Nanda, who was after all only the acting prime minister, there have been 13 other PMs, and thus Mr Modi is the 14th:
- Jawaharlal Nehru: 15 August 1947 to 27 May 1964
Gulzarilal Nanda: 27 May 1964 to 9 June 1964 - Lal Bahadur Shastri: 9 June 1964 to 11 January 1966
Gulzarilal Nanda 11 January 1966 to 24 January 1966 - Indira Gandhi: 24 January 1966 to 24 March 1977
- Morarji Desai: 24 March 1977 to 28 July 1979
- Charan Singh: 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980
Indira Gandhi: 14 January 1980 to 31 October 1984 - Rajiv Gandhi: 31 October 1984 to 2 December 1989
- V.P. Singh: 2 December 1989 to 10 November 1990
- Chandra Shekhar: 10 November 1990 to 21 June 1991
- P.V. Narasimha Rao: 21 June 1991 to 16 May 1996
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee: 16 May 1996 to 1 June 1996
- H.D. Deve Gowda: 1 June 1996 to 21 April 1997
- I.K. Gujral 21 April: 1997 to 19 March 1998
Atal Bihari Vajpayee: 19 March 1998 to 22 May 2004 - Manmohan Singh: 22 May 2004 to 26 May 2014
- Narendra Modi: 26 May 2014 to
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