NDA turns 12 today, meets to mark Narendra Modi crossing Jawaharlal Nehru stint

On Wednesday, Modi will complete 4,399 consecutive days in office as Prime Minister, one more than the 4,398 days of Nehru as a directly elected Prime Minister who entered office on May 13, 1952 and served until his death on May 27, 1964.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

4 min readNew DelhiJun 10, 2026 06:09 AM IST First published on: Jun 10, 2026 at 05:30 AM IST

Leaders of NDA constituents will meet at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi Wednesday to celebrate the completion of 12 years of the BJP-led government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaching a personal milestone by becoming the longest continuously serving elected Prime Minister, bettering the record of Jawaharlal Nehru.

On Wednesday, Modi will complete 4,399 consecutive days in office as Prime Minister, one more than the 4,398 days of Nehru as a directly elected Prime Minister who entered office on May 13, 1952 and served until his death on May 27, 1964. The 1952 general election was the first since Independence when Nehru was chosen Prime Minister.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, BJP president Nitin Nabin said, “These 12 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modiji’s leadership have been underlined by Vishwas, Vikas and Jan Kalyan (trust, development and public welfare). This era will be recorded in history as one of Bharat’s economic empowerment, of the rise in its honour and respect on the global stage. We believe and can say with pride that we have fulfilled our sankalp (resolve)… with a new thought process, a collective commitment and collective dreams. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking the nation forward.”

Read | Longer than Nehru: How Narendra Modi transformed India in 4,399 days

The Ministry of External Affairs hailed the strengthening of what it called Brand India. “Over the last 12 years, India’s foreign policy has witnessed a remarkable transformation, strengthening both Brand India and India’s standing on the global stage under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

“From being the voice of the Global South to First Responder in times of crisis, from championing climate action through initiatives including International Solar Alliance to driving digital public goods such as UPI across borders, India has combined national interest with global good,” he said.

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said Modi has infused “speed and scale” to government schemes to enhance benefits for people. According to a PTI report from Bhubaneswar, Meghwal told a press conference: “Schemes existed before 2014, but after Modi assumed charge that year, he infused speed and scale to those.” He said such a thinking and approach made Modi unique from other leaders.

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Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told The Indian Express, “Prime Minister Modi has several firsts to his commendable record. In 2014, he won the first clear majority after 30 years. Be it Digital India, the fact that the world is watching the growth of the Indian economy and our technology, women’s empowerment… the PM’s work speaks for itself. In this series of firsts that he has established is also this first of becoming the longest-serving, directly elected Prime Minister.” He said this is a marker of the “stability” Modi has provided to the polity.

BJP leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said, “It’s a milestone of the Modi era, not only for the longevity of PM Modi’s tenure but also for his efforts to deepen good governance, development and welfare programmes… Clarity of thoughts, ability to innovate, passion for performance and rigour for reforms have made post-2014 India markedly different from what it was pre-2014. Unlike many of his predecessors, he stands out as a man of ideas, always creatively restless to find solutions to issues and problems.”