Deputy Prime Minister of India
| Deputy Prime Minister of India भारत के उप प्रधानमन्त्री | |
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Incumbent Vacant | |
| Appointer | President on the advice of the Prime Minister |
| Inaugural holder | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel |
| Formation | 15 August 1947 |
The Deputy Prime Minister of India is a member of the Union Cabinet in the Government of India. Not technically a constitutional office, it seldom carries any specific powers. A Deputy Prime Minister usually also holds a key cabinet portfolio such as home minister or Finance Minister. In the parliamentary system of government, the Prime Minister is treated as the "first among equals" in the cabinet; the position of Deputy Prime Minister is used to bring political stability and strength within a coalition government or in times of national emergency, when a proper chain of command is necessary.
The first Deputy Prime Minister of India was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was also home minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet. The office has since been only intermittently occupied. The seventh and last deputy prime minister was L. K. Advani, who took on the role in addition to his home ministership from 2002 to 2004 in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government. The current government does not have a Deputy Prime Minister.
Many times there arose a proposal to make this post permanent, but nothing happened. The same goes to the post of Deputy Chief Minister in state level government.
List of Deputy Prime Ministers of India
- Colour key
| № | Deputy Prime Minister (Portfolio) |
Portrait | Term of office | Political party (Alliance) |
Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sardar Vallabhai Patel સરદાર વલ્લભભાઈ પટેલ (Minister of Home Affairs) |
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15 August 1947 | 15 December 1950 | Indian National Congress | Jawaharlal Nehru | |
| 2 | Morarji Desai મોરારજી દેસાઈ (Minister of Finance) |
 |
21 March 1967 | 6 December 1969 | Indian National Congress | Indira Gandhi | |
| 3 | Charan Singh चरण सिंह (Minister of Home Affairs & Minister of Finance) |
.jpg) |
24 March 1977 | 28 July 1979 | Janata Party | Morarji Desai | |
| 4 | Jagjivan Ram जगजीवन राम (Minister of Defence) |
 |
24 March 1977 | 28 July 1979 | Janata Party | ||
| 5 | Yashwantrao Chavan यशवंतराव चव्हाण (Minister of Home Affairs) |
28 July 1979 | 14 January 1980 | Indian National Congress (Socialist) | Charan Singh | ||
| 6 | Chaudhary Devi Lal चौधरी देवी लाल |
 |
2 December 1989 | 21 June 1991 | Janata Dal (National Front) |
V. P. Singh | |
| Chandra Shekhar | |||||||
| 7 | L. K. Advani एल. के. आडवाणी (Minister of Home Affairs) |
 |
5 February 2002 | 22 May 2004 | Bharatiya Janata Party (NDA) |
Atal Bihari Vajpayee | |