Deputy Prime Minister of India

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The Deputy Prime Minister of India is a member of the Indian cabinet in the Indian government. The post is not a constitutional post and seldom carries any specific powers. Generally a Deputy PM also holds other key portfolios like Home Minister or Finance Minister. Though the Indian Constitution does not specify the position and with the Prime Minister himself being treated as "first among equals" in the cabinet, the position of DPM is sometimes used by governments to bring political stability and strength by including a powerful individual, or in times of national emergency, when a proper chain of command is necessary. The first Deputy Prime Minister was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The last person to hold this post was Lal Krishna Advani of the previous government. The current government does not have a Deputy Prime Minister.

The Deputy Prime Minister in reality has no power except chairing the Cabinet meetings in the absence of the PM. Only if the PM is taken ill seriously, incapacitated or in the event of his death, does the DPM take the same level of responsibility.

[edit] List of Deputy Prime minister of India in chronological order

Sardar Patel 1947-50

  1. Morarji Desai 1967 - 1969
  2. Choudhary Charan Singh and Jagjivan Ram (jointly) 1979
  3. Yashwantrao Chavan 1979-1980 (also spelt Yeshwantrao Balwantrao Chavan)
  4. Chaudhari Devi Lal 1989-1990 (under Vishwanath Pratap Singh)
  5. Chaudhari Devi Lal 1990-1991 (under Chandra Shekhar)
  6. Lal Krishna Advani 2002-2004 (under Atal Bihari Vajpayee)
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