# Indira Gandhi

_Prime Minister of India (1966-1977; 1980-1984)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/indira-gandhi
Last updated: 2026-10-19

> Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was an Indian stateswoman who twice served as the Prime Minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. She was India's first and only female prime minister, and a central figure in Indian politics as the leader of the Indian National Congress (INC). Gandhi also served as chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) from 1983 to 1984, becoming the first Indian to hold the position. She was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, and the mother of Rajiv Gandhi, who succeeded her as prime minister. Her cumulative tenure of 15 years and 350 days, spanning four terms, makes her the second-longest-serving Indian prime minister after her father and the longest-serving female head of government at the time of her death.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 19 November 1917 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Prayagraj ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149#P19))
- **Died:** 31 October 1984 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149#P570))
- **Place of death:** New Delhi ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149#P20))
- **Citizenship:** India; British Raj ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician; writer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149#P106))
- **Political party:** Indian National Congress ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149#P102))
- **Education:** Somerville College; Visva-Bharati University; Badminton School; Patha Bhavana ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149#P69))
- **Spouse:** Feroze Gandhi ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149#P26))
- **Positions held:** Minister of External Affairs (19 July 1984 – 31 October 1984); Prime Minister of India (14 January 1980 – 31 October 1984); Minister of Defence (14 January 1980 – 15 January 1982); Minister of Defence (30 November 1975 – 20 December 1975); Minister of Home Affairs (27 June 1970 – 4 February 1973); Minister of Finance (16 July 1969 – 27 June 1970); Minister of External Affairs (6 September 1967 – 13 February 1969); Prime Minister of India (24 January 1966 – 24 March 1977); member of Rajya Sabha (1964–1984); Minister of Information and Broadcasting (1964–1966); Member of the Lok Sabha; Member of the 7th Lok Sabha ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149#P39))
- **Awards:** honorary doctorate of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv; honorary doctor of Waseda University; honorary citizen of Kyiv; Order of the Rose; Bharat Ratna; honorary doctor of the Sorbonne Nouvelle University; Gold Olympic Order; Lenin Peace Prize; Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding; Order of José Martí ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149#P166))

## Questions

**When was Indira Gandhi born?**  
Indira Gandhi was born on 19 November 1917 in Prayagraj.

**What positions has Indira Gandhi held?**  
Positions held by Indira Gandhi include: Minister of External Affairs (1984–1984); Prime Minister of India (1980–1984); Minister of Defence (1980–1982); Minister of Defence (1975–1975); Minister of Home Affairs (1970–1973).

**Where did Indira Gandhi study?**  
Indira Gandhi was educated at Somerville College, Visva-Bharati University, Badminton School, Patha Bhavana.

## Related

- [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://diginpl.com/people/jawaharlal-nehru)
- [Manmohan Singh](https://diginpl.com/people/manmohan-singh)
- [Rajiv Gandhi](https://diginpl.com/people/rajiv-gandhi)
- [Pranab Mukherjee](https://diginpl.com/people/pranab-mukherjee)
- [Atal Bihari Vajpayee](https://diginpl.com/people/atal-bihari-vajpayee)
- [Lal Bahadur Shastri](https://diginpl.com/people/lal-bahadur-shastri)
- [Narendra Modi](https://diginpl.com/people/narendra-modi)
- [P. V. Narasimha Rao](https://diginpl.com/people/p-v-narasimha-rao)
- [Ramaswamy Venkataraman](https://diginpl.com/people/ramaswamy-venkataraman)
- [V. P. Singh](https://diginpl.com/people/v-p-singh)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Indira Gandhi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): इन्दिरा गान्धी](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%87%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%80) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q1149](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Indira Gandhi official portrait.png by Prime Minister's Office (GODL-India)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indira_Gandhi_official_portrait.png)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Indira Gandhi, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Indira Gandhi official portrait.png — Prime Minister's Office, GODL-India.

## Cite this page

"Indira Gandhi". DigiNepal. Last updated 19 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/indira-gandhi. Retrieved 21 October 2026.