On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi achieved a significant milestone, becoming the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of India in consecutive terms. With 4,078 consecutive days in office, he has now surpassed the record previously held by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The only Prime Minister to have served longer is Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first PM.
Modi’s political success is further underscored by his matching Nehru’s record of winning three consecutive Lok Sabha elections in 2014, 2019, and 2024. A party spokesperson noted the positive aspects of Modi’s time in office, characterized by development, and drew a distinction from the tenures of previous leaders, which were described as having periods of arbitrariness. The spokesperson also pointed to an alleged disparaging comment by a Jharkhand Minister as indicative of a particular political party’s outlook.
This new distinction makes Prime Minister Modi the longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister. It also marks him as the first leader from outside the Congress to complete two full terms, a feat not achieved by former BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who, despite multiple electoral successes, did not serve a complete second term.