Uttar Pradesh: The Leading Producer of Prime Ministers

• 28 May 2024

Why in News?

India has had 15 Prime Ministers till now since independence. Uttar Pradesh, constituting 17% of India’s population (according to the 2011 census), has been the birthplace of six PMs.

Key Points

• 9 PMs have represented Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, some from multiple constituencies.
• Among all the PMs who were in office, 75% of the time, the office was held by a PM who concurrently served as a Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh.
• This includes the nearly 17-year tenure of Nehru, cumulative tenure of over 15 years of his daughter Indira Gandhi, six-year tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (13 days in 1996, 13 months in 1998 and for five years from 1999), and the current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who has been in office since May 2014.
  • While present PM was born in Gujarat, and subsequently became the Chief Minister of the state, he chose to contest elections from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 and 2019.
• Every Congress leader has represented Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha during their time in the PM’s residence except PV Narasimha Rao (Andhra Pradesh) and Manmohan Singh, who was an MP for Rajasthan and Assam in the Rajya Sabha.
• Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state with 215 million people (2011 census). It also sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha.
• Members of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh account for 20% of the Lok Sabha and a decisive victory in the state often determines who comes to power at the Centre