8,931 days and counting: PM Modi is India’s longest-serving head of government

March 23, India Today - Narendra Modi has become India’s longest-serving head of an elected government, completing 8,931 days in office across his tenures as chief minister and prime minister.

With the milestone, PM Modi surpassed Pawan Kumar Chamling, who served 8,930 days as Chief Minister of Sikkim.

PM Modi, who first took office as Chief Minister of Gujarat on October 7, 2001, led the western state for more than 13 years before stepping down on May 21, 2014, to enter national politics. He was sworn in as India’s 14th Prime Minister on May 26, 2014.

He is the first non-Congress leader to secure a full majority in the Lok Sabha and has won three consecutive general elections in 2014, 2019 and 2024.

Over his political career, he has also become the longest-serving Gujarat Chief Minister and the Prime Minister with the longest prior experience as a state chief minister.

Congratulatory messages poured in from leaders of the ruling BJP and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah posted, "Modi Ji’s decades of Seva have shaped an era of his own. Whether it is giving the poor their rights, setting new landmarks in development or enhancing the nation's pride on global platforms, the Modi era has transformed India unrecognisably."