List of Defence Ministers of India
List of all Defence Ministers of India from 1947 to 2026, with their party, dates, and total time in office.
First Minister
Baldev Singh
Assumed office 15 Aug 1947
Current Incumbent
Rajnath Singh
Serving Union Minister
Unique Ministers
26 Ministers
Post-independence 1947–2026
Longest Tenure
A. K. Antony (7 yrs, 214 days)
Historic milestone service
| # | Minister | Party | From | To | Duration | Constituency | House |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |
BS
Baldev Singh
|
Indian National Congress | 15 Aug 1947 | 13 May 1952 | 4 yrs, 272 days | Punjab | Constituent Assembly |
| #2 |
GA
N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar
|
Indian National Congress | 13 May 1952 | 10 Feb 1953 | 273 days | Madras | Rajya Sabha |
| #3 |
JN
Jawaharlal Nehru PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 10 Feb 1953 | 10 Jan 1955 | 1 yr, 334 days | Phulpur | Lok Sabha |
| #4 |
KK
Kailash Nath Katju
|
Indian National Congress | 10 Jan 1955 | 30 Jan 1957 | 2 yrs, 20 days | Mandsaur | Lok Sabha |
| #5 |
JN
Jawaharlal Nehru PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 30 Jan 1957 | 17 Apr 1957 | 77 days | Phulpur | Lok Sabha |
| #6 |
KM
V. K. Krishna Menon
|
Indian National Congress | 17 Apr 1957 | 31 Oct 1962 | 5 yrs, 197 days | Bombay City North | Lok Sabha |
| #7 |
JN
Jawaharlal Nehru PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 31 Oct 1962 | 14 Nov 1962 | 14 days | Phulpur | Lok Sabha |
| #8 |
YC
Y. B. Chavan
|
Indian National Congress | 14 Nov 1962 | 13 Nov 1966 | 3 yrs, 364 days | Satara | Lok Sabha |
| #9 |
SS
Swaran Singh 1st Term
|
Indian National Congress | 13 Nov 1966 | 27 Jun 1970 | 3 yrs, 226 days | Jalandhar | Lok Sabha |
| #10 |
JR
Jagjivan Ram 1st Term
|
Indian National Congress | 27 Jun 1970 | 10 Oct 1974 | 4 yrs, 105 days | Sasaram | Lok Sabha |
| #11 |
SS
Swaran Singh 2nd Term
|
Indian National Congress | 10 Oct 1974 | 1 Dec 1975 | 1 yr, 52 days | Jalandhar | Lok Sabha |
| #12 |
BL
Bansi Lal
|
Indian National Congress | 1 Dec 1975 | 24 Mar 1977 | 1 yr, 113 days | Bhiwani | Lok Sabha |
| #13 |
JR
Jagjivan Ram 2nd Term
|
Janata Party | 26 Mar 1977 | 28 Jul 1979 | 2 yrs, 124 days | Sasaram | Lok Sabha |
| #14 |
CS
C. Subramaniam
|
Janata Party (Secular) | 28 Jul 1979 | 14 Jan 1980 | 170 days | Palani | Lok Sabha |
| #15 |
IG
Indira Gandhi PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 14 Jan 1980 | 15 Jan 1982 | 2 yrs, 1 day | Medak | Lok Sabha |
| #16 |
RV
R. Venkataraman
|
Indian National Congress | 15 Jan 1982 | 2 Aug 1984 | 2 yrs, 200 days | Madras South | Lok Sabha |
| #17 |
SC
Shankarrao Chavan
|
Indian National Congress | 2 Aug 1984 | 31 Dec 1984 | 151 days | Nanded | Lok Sabha |
| #18 |
PV
P. V. Narasimha Rao 1st Term
|
Indian National Congress | 31 Dec 1984 | 25 Sep 1985 | 268 days | Ramtek | Lok Sabha |
| #19 |
RG
Rajiv Gandhi PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 25 Sep 1985 | 24 Jan 1987 | 1 yr, 121 days | Amethi | Lok Sabha |
| #20 |
VP
V. P. Singh
|
Indian National Congress | 24 Jan 1987 | 12 Apr 1987 | 78 days | Uttar Pradesh | Rajya Sabha |
| #21 |
KP
K. C. Pant
|
Indian National Congress | 12 Apr 1987 | 2 Dec 1989 | 2 yrs, 234 days | New Delhi | Lok Sabha |
| #22 |
VP
V. P. Singh PM in Charge
|
Janata Dal | 6 Dec 1989 | 10 Nov 1990 | 339 days | Fatehpur | Lok Sabha |
| #23 |
CS
Chandra Shekhar PM in Charge
|
Samajwadi Janata Party | 10 Nov 1990 | 21 Jun 1991 | 223 days | Ballia | Lok Sabha |
| #24 |
SP
Sharad Pawar
|
Indian National Congress | 26 Jun 1991 | 5 Mar 1993 | 1 yr, 252 days | Baramati | Lok Sabha |
| #25 |
PV
P. V. Narasimha Rao PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 6 Mar 1993 | 16 May 1996 | 3 yrs, 71 days | Nandyal | Lok Sabha |
| #26 |
PM
Pramod Mahajan
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 16 May 1996 | 1 Jun 1996 | 16 days | Mumbai North East | Lok Sabha |
| #27 |
MY
Mulayam Singh Yadav
|
Samajwadi Party | 1 Jun 1996 | 19 Mar 1998 | 1 yr, 291 days | Mainpuri | Lok Sabha |
| #28 |
GF
George Fernandes 1st Term
|
Samata Party | 19 Mar 1998 | 16 Mar 2001 | 2 yrs, 362 days | Nalanda | Lok Sabha |
| #29 |
JS
Jaswant Singh
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 16 Mar 2001 | 21 Oct 2001 | 219 days | Rajasthan | Rajya Sabha |
| #30 |
GF
George Fernandes 2nd Term
|
Janata Dal (United) | 21 Oct 2001 | 22 May 2004 | 2 yrs, 214 days | Nalanda | Lok Sabha |
| #31 |
PM
Pranab Mukherjee
|
Indian National Congress | 23 May 2004 | 24 Oct 2006 | 2 yrs, 154 days | Jangipur | Lok Sabha |
| #32 |
AA
A. K. Antony
|
Indian National Congress | 24 Oct 2006 | 26 May 2014 | 7 yrs, 214 days | Kerala | Rajya Sabha |
| #33 |
AJ
Arun Jaitley 1st Term
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 26 May 2014 | 9 Nov 2014 | 167 days | Gujarat | Rajya Sabha |
| #34 |
MP
Manohar Parrikar
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 9 Nov 2014 | 13 Mar 2017 | 2 yrs, 124 days | Uttar Pradesh | Rajya Sabha |
| #35 |
AJ
Arun Jaitley 2nd Term
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 13 Mar 2017 | 3 Sep 2017 | 174 days | Gujarat | Rajya Sabha |
| #36 |
NS
Nirmala Sitharaman
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 3 Sep 2017 | 30 May 2019 | 1 yr, 269 days | Karnataka | Rajya Sabha |
| #37 |
RS
Rajnath Singh Incumbent
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 31 May 2019 | Present | Serving | Lucknow | Lok Sabha |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the first Defence Minister of independent India?
Sardar Baldev Singh was the first Defence Minister of independent India, serving from 15 August 1947 until 13 May 1952.
Who is the current Defence Minister of India?
Rajnath Singh is the current Union Minister of Defence, having assumed office on 31 May 2019 and reappointed in June 2024.
Who was the longest-serving Defence Minister of India?
A. K. Antony was the longest continuously serving Defence Minister of India, holding office for 7 years and 214 days from 24 October 2006 to 26 May 2014.
Who was the first woman Defence Minister of India?
Indira Gandhi held the Defence portfolio while serving as Prime Minister in 1975 and 1980–1982. Nirmala Sitharaman became India’s first full-time woman Defence Minister in September 2017.