PM Narendra Modi becomes longest serving non-Congress prime minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has added another feather in his cap by becoming the longest serving head of the country of a non-Congress government. Already in his second tenure, PM Modi has completed more than 2,271 days in office. With this, the current prime minister has surpassed the number of days in office spent by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who headed the first government of National Democratic Alliance (NDA). 

While Vajpayee, who was the longest serving PM of a non-Congress government, remained in office for six years—From 19 March, 1998 to 22 May, 2004—Modi’s tenure as PM started in May 2014 and he would face re-election in May 2024, when he completes a decade in office. 

PM Modi is also the fourth longest serving prime minister of India right now. The only names that remain ahead of him are Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, all from Congress party. Among the other Congress PMs who have spent considerable time in office is Rajiv Gandhi, whose tenure lasted five years and 32 days, nearly 1,857 days; P.V. Narasimha Rao, comes a close second as he completed four years and 330 days in office as PM, that is, 1,761 days. 

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Also, PM Modi is now the longest serving head of an elected government. He has served for six years and 79 days as Prime Minister and another 12 years and 227 days as chief minister of Gujarat. Interestingly, he has spent more than 4,607 days since he became chief minister of Gujarat.  

Former prime minister Morarji Desai, who served as both PM and chief minister, was in office of an elected government for six years and 320 days, of which his tenure as PM was for two years and 126 days, while his tenure as CM was for four years and 196 days.