In another milestone in his political career, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday became India's longest continuously serving elected prime minister, surpassing the record held by the country's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Modi crossed Nehru's record of 4,399 days in office as an elected prime minister on June 10. While Nehru served longer overall, his tenure from 1947 to 1952 was as head of an interim government before India's first general elections were held.
Former prime minister Indira Gandhi served for more than 14 years in office, but her tenure was not continuous.
Modi first assumed office on May 26, 2014, following the BJP-led NDA's landslide victory in the general elections. He secured a bigger mandate in 2019 and began his second term on May 30 that year. His third consecutive term commenced on June 9, 2024.
To mark the occasion, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is holding a meeting at Bharat Mandapam on Wednesday. The gathering will celebrate the NDA government's 12 years in office and Modi's record-breaking tenure.
The meeting is expected to be attended by chief ministers and deputy chief ministers from all 22 NDA-ruled states and Union Territories. The NDA partners are also likely to adopt a resolution congratulating Modi on the achievement.
Senior Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, J. P. Nadda and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, are expected to attend.
According to PTI, discussions at the meeting will focus on national development initiatives, infrastructure projects and the government's vision of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047.
World leaders congratulate Modi
Leaders from across the world congratulated Modi on the milestone.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in a letter, conveyed the congratulations of the Sri Lankan government and people, describing the achievement as a reflection of the trust repeatedly placed in Modi's leadership by the people of India.
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape, in a video message, called Modi "a role model and an example of leadership" and praised India's progress under his tenure.
Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar also extended her congratulations, saying India had emerged as a leading global voice under Modi's leadership.
US Senator John Cornyn described Modi's tenure as "nothing short of transformational" and congratulated him on becoming India's longest-serving elected prime minister.
"Congratulations to Prime Minister @narendramodi on becoming India's longest-serving elected Prime Minister - 4,399 days of leadership earned through the trust of 1.4 billion people across three democratic mandates," Cornyn, the Republican Senator from Texas, said in a post on X.
BJP leaders to hold prayers and havans
Prominent BJP leaders, including national president Nitin Nabin, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her cabinet colleagues, party MPs and MLAs, will perform 'havan' and offer prayers at the temples and their homes to mark Modi becoming India's longest serving prime minister.
Nabin, accompanied by other party leaders, will offer prayers at Jhandewalan temple while Chief Minister Gupta will pray at Ram Mandir in Kishanganj Gaushala.
