Deputy Prime Minister of India
| Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of India | |
|---|---|
| Bhārat Ke Upapradhānamantrī | |
Incumbent since 23 May 2004Vacant | |
| Government of India | |
| Style |
|
| Type | Deputy Head of government |
| Status | Deputy Leader of the Executive |
| Abbreviation | DPM |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of India |
| Appointer | President of India |
| Term length | At the pleasure of the president
|
| Constituting instrument | Not mentioned in the Constitution of India |
| Formation | 15 August 1947; 78 years, 211 days ago |
| First holder | Vallabhbhai Patel |
| Final holder | L. K. Advani |
The deputy prime minister of India (IAST: Bhārat Ke Upapradhānamantrī), although not a Constitutional post, is the second-highest ranking minister of the Union in the executive branch of the Government of India and is a senior member of the Union Council of Ministers. The office holder also deputizes for the prime minister in their absence.
The sitting deputy prime minister ranks fourth in the Order of Precedence of India and is nominated by prime minister and appointed by the president of India.
The longest-serving deputy prime minister was the first deputy prime minister, Vallabhbhai Patel, whose tenure lasted 3 years and 122 days. His premiership was followed by Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, Jagjivan Ram, Yashwantrao Chavan, Devi Lal and L.K. Advani.
The office has since been only intermittently occupied, having been occupied for a little more than 10 years out of the 75 years since its inception. Since 1950 India has had 7 deputy prime ministers, of which none having at least one full term.