Prime Ministers of India Who Resigned Before Completing Their Full Term
India, since its independence in 1947, has seen a variety of political transitions, some marked by stability, while others have been characterized by upheavals and resignations. There have been several instances in which Prime Ministers of India resigned before completing their full term, either due to personal reasons, political challenges, or power struggles. This article will explore the key cases of Prime Ministers who resigned before their term was completed.
1. Gulzarilal Nanda (1966)
Gulzarilal Nanda, though not formally elected as Prime Minister, became the acting Prime Minister of India twice in its history. His first term as the Acting Prime Minister was in 1966, following the sudden death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, who passed away during an official visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Nanda, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, took on the role of the interim leader.
However, his resignation in 1966 wasn’t due to any political scandal or personal reasons. It was a brief period of transition as Nanda was only tasked with holding office until the election of a new leader. His role was to maintain stability, and soon after, Indira Gandhi was elected as the leader of the Congress party and subsequently took office as the Prime Minister. Nanda resigned from the post of Prime Minister after a short tenure of 13 days, paving the way for the more permanent leadership of Indira Gandhi.
2. Indira Gandhi (1977)
Indira Gandhi, one of India’s most iconic and powerful Prime Ministers, resigned before completing her full term for reasons that were directly tied to political and electoral circumstances. Indira Gandhi had been elected as Prime Minister in 1971 after a resounding victory in the general elections. However, her leadership faced significant challenges in the mid-1970s, particularly with issues of corruption, emergency powers, and the growing discontent among the Indian population.
In 1975, following a controversial decision, Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India, citing internal disturbances. The Emergency, which lasted for 21 months, was marked by censorship, political repression, and widespread human rights violations. This period severely impacted her popularity, and in 1977, Indira Gandhi called for general elections to regain her legitimacy.
In the 1977 elections, the Congress party, under her leadership, suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Janata Party. Indira Gandhi resigned as Prime Minister on March 24, 1977, following the defeat. Her resignation marked the end of her first term in office. However, she did not stay out of politics for long. In 1980, she returned to power after her party’s victory in the general elections.
3. Vishwanath Pratap Singh (1989)
Vishwanath Pratap Singh became the 8th Prime Minister of India in 1989. He took office after the collapse of Rajiv Gandhi’s government following a string of political and corruption scandals, including the infamous Bofors scandal. V.P. Singh, a former Congress leader, rose to prominence as the leader of the Janata Dal and was chosen to lead a coalition government with a promise to bring in transparency and anti-corruption measures.
However, V.P. Singh’s government faced several challenges. While his decision to implement the Mandal Commission Report, which recommended reservations for backward classes in government jobs and educational institutions, earned him significant support from the backward classes, it also led to widespread protests and backlash from upper-caste communities. The political instability exacerbated by the Mandal issue and other economic concerns led to internal dissent within his coalition.
By November 1990, V.P. Singh found himself increasingly isolated due to growing tensions within his coalition partners and the larger opposition. He resigned from his position as Prime Minister on November 10, 1990, before completing his full term, citing the inability to manage a stable government due to the internal dissent and political instability. Singh’s resignation marked the end of a turbulent period in Indian politics, with the country returning to a series of unstable coalitions.
4. Atal Bihari Vajpayee (2004)
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a stalwart of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), served as the 10th Prime Minister of India. Vajpayee first became Prime Minister in 1996 for a brief period of 13 days, during which his government collapsed due to a lack of majority support. However, he returned to power in 1998 after the BJP won the general elections. His government was characterized by significant economic reforms, infrastructure development, and India’s nuclear tests in 1998, which garnered both admiration and criticism internationally.
In 2004, however, Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government faced a surprise setback in the general elections. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) lost to the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Despite the NDA’s achievements, the electorate had turned against them, and Vajpayee’s government was voted out. Vajpayee, who had been in power for six years, resigned as Prime Minister on May 19, 2004, after the electoral defeat, conceding to the rise of the UPA led by Manmohan Singh.
The Bottom Line
The resignation of these Prime Ministers before completing their full term reflects the volatile and unpredictable nature of Indian politics. Some of these resignations were a result of electoral defeats, while others were driven by internal political instability or pressures from coalition partners. Regardless of the circumstances, the resignation of any Prime Minister before their term has far-reaching implications for the political landscape of the country, as it shifts the direction of governance and reshapes the political narratives in India.
