The Foreign Minister of India, officially known as the Minister of External Affairs, plays a key role in shaping India’s relations with the rest of the world.
From the time of independence to today, this position has guided India’s diplomacy, global partnerships, and international standing.
When India became independent, the ministry was called the Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations in 1948. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, personally handled the foreign affairs portfolio until 1964.
Over time, the ministry’s responsibilities expanded. It also handled laws related to Indian pilgrims, overseas travel, and administration of certain border areas. Today, the MEA is the backbone of India’s diplomatic system.
List of Foreign Ministers of India (1946–2026)
| No. | Foreign Minister | Tenure | Prime Minister |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jawaharlal Nehru | 2 Sept 1946 – 27 May 1964 | Himself |
| 2 | Gulzarilal Nanda (Acting) | 27 May 1964 – 9 June 1964 | Himself |
| 3 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | 9 June 1964 – 17 July 1964 | Himself |
| 4 | Swaran Singh | 18 July 1964 – 14 Nov 1966 | L. B. Shastri / Indira Gandhi |
| 5 | M. C. Chagla | 14 Nov 1966 – 5 Sept 1967 | Indira Gandhi |
| 6 | Indira Gandhi | 6 Sept 1967 – 13 Feb 1969 | Herself |
| 7 | Dinesh Singh | 14 Feb 1969 – 27 June 1970 | Indira Gandhi |
| 8 | Swaran Singh (Reappointed) | 27 June 1970 – 10 Oct 1974 | Indira Gandhi |
| 9 | Yashwantrao Chavan | 10 Oct 1974 – 24 March 1977 | Indira Gandhi |
| 10 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 26 March 1977 – 28 July 1979 | Morarji Desai |
| 11 | Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra | 28 July 1979 – 13 Jan 1980 | Charan Singh |
| 12 | P. V. Narasimha Rao | 14 Jan 1980 – 19 July 1984 | Indira Gandhi |
| 13 | Indira Gandhi (Reappointed) | 19 July 1984 – 31 Oct 1984 | Herself |
| 14 | Rajiv Gandhi | 31 Oct 1984 – 24 Sept 1985 | Himself |
| 15 | Bali Ram Bhagat | 25 Sept 1985 – 12 May 1986 | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 16 | P. Shiv Shankar | 12 May 1986 – 22 Oct 1986 | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 17 | N. D. Tiwari | 22 Oct 1986 – 25 July 1987 | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 18 | Rajiv Gandhi (Reappointed) | 25 July 1987 – 25 June 1988 | Himself |
| 19 | P. V. Narasimha Rao (Reappointed) | 25 June 1988 – 2 Dec 1989 | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 20 | V. P. Singh | 2 Dec 1989 – 5 Dec 1989 | Himself |
| 21 | I. K. Gujral | 5 Dec 1989 – 10 Nov 1990 | V. P. Singh |
| 22 | Vidya Charan Shukla | 21 Nov 1990 – 20 Feb 1991 | Chandra Shekhar |
| 23 | Madhavsinh Solanki | 21 June 1991 – 31 March 1992 | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 24 | P. V. Narasimha Rao (Reappointed) | 31 March 1992 – 18 Jan 1993 | Himself |
| 25 | Dinesh Singh (Reappointed) | 18 Jan 1993 – 10 Feb 1995 | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 26 | Pranab Mukherjee | 10 Feb 1995 – 16 May 1996 | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 27 | Sikander Bakht | 21 May 1996 – 1 June 1996 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 28 | I. K. Gujral | 1 June 1996 – 18 March 1998 | Deve Gowda / I. K. Gujral |
| 29 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Reappointed) | 19 March 1998 – 5 Dec 1998 | Himself |
| 30 | Jaswant Singh | 5 Dec 1998 – 23 June 2002 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 31 | Yashwant Sinha | 1 July 2002 – 22 May 2004 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 32 | Natwar Singh | 22 May 2004 – 6 Nov 2005 | Manmohan Singh |
| 33 | Manmohan Singh | 6 Nov 2005 – 24 Oct 2006 | Himself |
| 34 | Pranab Mukherjee (Reappointed) | 24 Oct 2006 – 22 May 2009 | Manmohan Singh |
| 35 | S. M. Krishna | 22 May 2009 – 26 Oct 2012 | Manmohan Singh |
| 36 | Salman Khurshid | 28 Oct 2012 – 26 May 2014 | Manmohan Singh |
| 37 | Sushma Swaraj | 26 May 2014 – 30 May 2019 | Narendra Modi |
| 38 | Dr. S. Jaishankar | 30 May 2019 – 2026 (Incumbent) | Narendra Modi |
Key Highlights
| Topic | Name | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|
| First Foreign Minister of India | Jawaharlal Nehru | Served from 1946–1964 |
| First Woman Foreign Minister | Indira Gandhi | 1967–1969 |
| First full-time woman cabinet minister solely heading External Affairs | Sushma Swaraj | 2014–2019 |
| Longest-Serving Foreign Minister | Jawaharlal Nehru | Nearly 18 years |
| Current Foreign Minister (2026) | Dr. S. Jaishankar | Since May 2019 |
Longest-Serving and First Foreign Minister of India
Jawaharlal Nehru was the longest-serving External Affairs Minister, holding the portfolio from 1946 until 1964.
Jawaharlal Nehru was also the first Foreign Minister of independent India.The history of Foreign Ministers of India from 1946 to 2026 reflects India’s political evolution, diplomatic priorities, and global engagement.