List of External Affairs Ministers of India
List of all External Affairs Ministers of India from 1947 to 2026, with their party, dates, and total time in office.
First Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru
Assumed office 15 Aug 1947
Current Incumbent
Dr. S. Jaishankar
Serving Union Minister
Unique Ministers
24 Ministers
Post-independence 1947–2026
Longest Tenure
Jawaharlal Nehru (16 yrs, 286 days)
Historic milestone service
| # | Minister | Party | From | To | Duration | Constituency | House |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |
JN
Jawaharlal Nehru
|
Indian National Congress | 15 Aug 1947 | 27 May 1964 | 16 yrs, 286 days | Phulpur | Lok Sabha |
| #2 |
GN
Gulzarilal Nanda Interim PM
|
Indian National Congress | 27 May 1964 | 9 Jun 1964 | 13 days | Sabarkantha | Lok Sabha |
| #3 |
LS
Lal Bahadur Shastri PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 9 Jun 1964 | 18 Jul 1964 | 39 days | Allahabad | Lok Sabha |
| #4 |
SS
Swaran Singh 1st Term
|
Indian National Congress | 18 Jul 1964 | 14 Nov 1966 | 2 yrs, 119 days | Jalandhar | Lok Sabha |
| #5 |
MC
M. C. Chagla
|
Indian National Congress | 14 Nov 1966 | 5 Sep 1967 | 295 days | Maharashtra | Rajya Sabha |
| #6 |
IG
Indira Gandhi PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 5 Sep 1967 | 14 Feb 1969 | 1 yr, 162 days | Rae Bareli | Lok Sabha |
| #7 |
DS
Dinesh Singh 1st Term
|
Indian National Congress | 14 Feb 1969 | 27 Jun 1970 | 1 yr, 133 days | Pratapgarh | Lok Sabha |
| #8 |
SS
Swaran Singh 2nd Term
|
Indian National Congress | 27 Jun 1970 | 10 Oct 1974 | 4 yrs, 105 days | Jalandhar | Lok Sabha |
| #9 |
YC
Y. B. Chavan
|
Indian National Congress | 10 Oct 1974 | 24 Mar 1977 | 2 yrs, 165 days | Satara | Lok Sabha |
| #10 |
AV
Atal Bihari Vajpayee 1st Term
|
Janata Party | 26 Mar 1977 | 28 Jul 1979 | 2 yrs, 124 days | New Delhi | Lok Sabha |
| #11 |
SM
Shyam Nandan Mishra
|
Janata Party (Secular) | 28 Jul 1979 | 14 Jan 1980 | 170 days | Begusarai | Lok Sabha |
| #12 |
PV
P. V. Narasimha Rao 1st Term
|
Indian National Congress | 14 Jan 1980 | 19 Jul 1984 | 4 yrs, 187 days | Hanamkonda | Lok Sabha |
| #13 |
IG
Indira Gandhi PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 19 Jul 1984 | 31 Oct 1984 | 104 days | Medak | Lok Sabha |
| #14 |
RG
Rajiv Gandhi PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 31 Oct 1984 | 25 Sep 1985 | 329 days | Amethi | Lok Sabha |
| #15 |
BB
Bali Ram Bhagat
|
Indian National Congress | 25 Sep 1985 | 12 May 1986 | 229 days | Arrah | Lok Sabha |
| #16 |
PS
P. Shiv Shankar
|
Indian National Congress | 12 May 1986 | 22 Oct 1986 | 163 days | Gujarat | Rajya Sabha |
| #17 |
ND
N. D. Tiwari
|
Indian National Congress | 22 Oct 1986 | 25 Jul 1987 | 276 days | Nainital | Lok Sabha |
| #18 |
RG
Rajiv Gandhi PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 25 Jul 1987 | 25 Jun 1988 | 336 days | Amethi | Lok Sabha |
| #19 |
PV
P. V. Narasimha Rao 2nd Term
|
Indian National Congress | 25 Jun 1988 | 2 Dec 1989 | 1 yr, 160 days | Ramtek | Lok Sabha |
| #20 |
IK
I. K. Gujral 1st Term
|
Janata Dal | 6 Dec 1989 | 10 Nov 1990 | 339 days | Jalandhar | Lok Sabha |
| #21 |
VS
Vidya Charan Shukla
|
Samajwadi Janata Party | 21 Nov 1990 | 20 Feb 1991 | 91 days | Mahasamund | Lok Sabha |
| #22 |
MS
Madhavsinh Solanki
|
Indian National Congress | 21 Jun 1991 | 31 Mar 1992 | 284 days | Gujarat | Rajya Sabha |
| #23 |
PV
P. V. Narasimha Rao PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 31 Mar 1992 | 17 Jan 1993 | 292 days | Nandyal | Lok Sabha |
| #24 |
DS
Dinesh Singh 2nd Term
|
Indian National Congress | 17 Jan 1993 | 10 Feb 1995 | 2 yrs, 24 days | Pratapgarh | Rajya Sabha |
| #25 |
PM
Pranab Mukherjee 1st Term
|
Indian National Congress | 10 Feb 1995 | 16 May 1996 | 1 yr, 96 days | West Bengal | Rajya Sabha |
| #26 |
SB
Sikander Bakht
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 16 May 1996 | 1 Jun 1996 | 16 days | Madhya Pradesh | Rajya Sabha |
| #27 |
IK
I. K. Gujral 2nd Term
|
Janata Dal | 1 Jun 1996 | 19 Mar 1998 | 1 yr, 291 days | Bihar | Rajya Sabha |
| #28 |
AV
Atal Bihari Vajpayee PM in Charge
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 19 Mar 1998 | 5 Dec 1998 | 261 days | Lucknow | Lok Sabha |
| #29 |
JS
Jaswant Singh
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 5 Dec 1998 | 1 Jul 2002 | 3 yrs, 208 days | Rajasthan | Rajya Sabha |
| #30 |
YS
Yashwant Sinha
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 1 Jul 2002 | 22 May 2004 | 1 yr, 326 days | Hazaribagh | Lok Sabha |
| #31 |
NS
K. Natwar Singh
|
Indian National Congress | 22 May 2004 | 7 Nov 2005 | 1 yr, 169 days | Rajasthan | Rajya Sabha |
| #32 |
MS
Manmohan Singh PM in Charge
|
Indian National Congress | 7 Nov 2005 | 24 Oct 2006 | 351 days | Assam | Rajya Sabha |
| #33 |
PM
Pranab Mukherjee 2nd Term
|
Indian National Congress | 24 Oct 2006 | 22 May 2009 | 2 yrs, 210 days | Jangipur | Lok Sabha |
| #34 |
SK
S. M. Krishna
|
Indian National Congress | 23 May 2009 | 28 Oct 2012 | 3 yrs, 158 days | Karnataka | Rajya Sabha |
| #35 |
SK
Salman Khurshid
|
Indian National Congress | 28 Oct 2012 | 26 May 2014 | 1 yr, 210 days | Farrukhabad | Lok Sabha |
| #36 |
SS
Sushma Swaraj
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 26 May 2014 | 30 May 2019 | 5 yrs, 4 days | Vidisha | Lok Sabha |
| #37 |
SJ
Dr. S. Jaishankar Incumbent
|
Bharatiya Janata Party | 31 May 2019 | Present | Serving | Gujarat | Rajya Sabha |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the first External Affairs Minister of India?
Jawaharlal Nehru held the External Affairs portfolio concurrently while serving as Prime Minister from 15 August 1947 until his death on 27 May 1964.
Who is the current External Affairs Minister of India?
Dr. S. Jaishankar has been serving as the Union Minister of External Affairs since 31 May 2019, continuing in office in the third Modi ministry.
Who was the first full-time Minister of External Affairs?
Sardar Swaran Singh was appointed as the first dedicated, full-time Minister of External Affairs in July 1964 under Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Who was the first woman External Affairs Minister of India?
Indira Gandhi held the portfolio concurrently as Prime Minister in 1967–1969 and 1984. Sushma Swaraj became the first full-time woman External Affairs Minister in May 2014.