Deputy Prime Minister of India


The Deputy Prime Minister of India is a member of the Union Council of Ministers in the Government of India. Not a constitutional office, it seldom carries any specific powers. A deputy prime minister usually also holds a cabinet portfolio such as home minister or finance minister. In the parliamentary system of government, the prime minister is treated as the "first among equals" in the cabinet; the position of deputy prime minister is used to bring political stability and strength within a coalition government or in times of national emergency, when a proper chain of command is necessary.
The office has since been only intermittently occupied, having been occupied for a little more than 11 years out of the 72 years since its inception. The first Deputy Prime Minister of India was Vallabhbhai Patel, who was also home minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet. The seventh and last deputy prime minister was L. K. Advani, who took on the role in addition to his home ministership from 2002 to 2004 in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government. The current government does not have a Deputy Prime Minister.
On multiple occasions, proposals have arisen to make the post permanent, but without result. The same goes for the post of deputy chief minister at the state level.

History

The first deputy prime minister was Vallabhbhai Patel, who was also home minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet. He occupied the post for 3 years until his death in 1950. The post was vacant until Morarji Desai became the second deputy prime minister in 1967.
L. K. Advani served as the seventh deputy prime minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet from 2002 to 2004. The post has been vacant since 2004.

List of Deputy Prime Ministers of India

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