Question:medium

Who was a member of the Rajya Sabha when first appointed as the Prime Minister of India?

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Prime Ministers who were members of the Rajya Sabha when assuming office: Indira Gandhi (1966) H.D. Deve Gowda (1996) I.K. Gujral (1997) Dr. Manmohan Singh (2004)
Updated On: Jun 5, 2026
  • Lal Bahadur Shastri
  • Charan Singh
  • Morarji Desai
  • Indira Gandhi
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understand the rule.
A Prime Minister can be a member of either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. The Constitution does not force the PM to come from the lower house.

Step 2: Check each name.
Lal Bahadur Shastri, Charan Singh and Morarji Desai were all in the Lok Sabha when they became Prime Minister.

Step 3: Look at Indira Gandhi.
When Shastri died in January 1966, Indira Gandhi was chosen as PM. At that time she sat in the Rajya Sabha, representing Uttar Pradesh.

Step 4: Draw the conclusion.
So she is the one who was first appointed PM while being a Rajya Sabha member.

Answer: Indira Gandhi (Option 4).
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