Main Political Events in Independent India

Date/ Period Events

1946 The Constituent assembly elected in 1946 served as the Parliament
15 Aug. 1947 -  India became independent -  Jawaharlal Nehru becomes the 1st P. M. of Independent India 30 Jan. 1948 -  Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Godse -  India sends troops and took over the State of Hyderabad -  Sheikh Abdulla became the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. -  Pakistan adopted Guerrilla War in J & K but India recaptured Dras -  Kargil and Poonch.
26 Nov. 1949 Constitution of India was adopted with a Preamble -  395 Articles & 8 Schedules.
26 Jan. 1950 -  Constitution of India was enforced & India was declared a Republic State -  Rajendra Prasad -  1st President of India -  Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel died on 15 Dec. 1950.
1951 -  India's first general/Lok Sabha election ( 25 Oct. 1951 to 21 Feb. 1952)  Indian National Congress won with full majority (75%)
1953 -  Sheikh Abdulla was dismissed -  arrested and Ghulam Mohammed became the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
1954 -  French finally gave up its territory Pondicherry to India.
1956 Death of B. R. Ambedkar on 6 Dec. 1956
1957 -  Second general elections held in India & Congress won 371 seats
1959 -  Mrs. Indira Gandhi was elected the president of Indian National Congress.
1960 -  The states of Gujarat and Maharashtra came into being on May 1 -  1960 & Bombay got allocated to Maharashtra.
1961 -  Indian troops liberated Goa from Portuguese colony by Operation Vijay
1962 -  Congress retained its majority in the general elections (361 seats out of 494).
1964 -  Jawahar Lal Nehru passed away. Gulzarilal Nanda was sworn in as acting prime minister. Congress Working Committee finalized on Lal Bahadur Shastri as Nehru's successor. (Other contenders were Tamilian K. Kamraj & Morarji Desai)
1965 -  Pakistan invaded India over a salt marsh in Kachchh desert forcing Indians to withdraw some 40 miles.
1966 -  L.B. Shastri & Pakistani President Ayub Khan met in Taskent along with the Soviet Union P.M. Kosygin -  and signed 'Taskent Agrement'.
-  Lal Bahadur Shashtri dies in sleep -  of cardiac arrest.
-  Gulzarilal Nanda was (once again) sworn in as acting prime minister.
-  Indira Gandhi became PM on Congress president Kamraj endorsement for which Morarji Desai was interested.
-  Punjab and Haryana divided into separate states.
1967 -  4th general elections held in February & INC got 283 seats.
1969 14 banks were nationalized which was opposed by then Finance Minister Morarji Desai
1971 -  The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 over Bangladesh liberation. Pakistani troops surrendered & Provisional Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh came into being.
-  5th general elections of India was held 14 months before scheduled time and Congress returned with 362 seats out of 520
1975 -  On 26th June 1975 national emergency was declared.
-  Opposition leaders -  including -  Jayprakash Narayan -  Morarji Desai -  were sent to jail. Sanjay Gandhi became leading political executive overshading Indira Gandhi
1977 -  Mrs. Gandhi dissolved Lok Sabha and general elections were held.
-  The Congress lost around 200 seats. Both Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi lost.
-  Janata Party came with majority & Morarji Desai became PM of India.
1979 -  Morarji Desai resigned after Janata Party splits into three parts: headed by Morarji Desai -  Jagjivan Ram and Charan Singh.
-  Charan Singh was sworn as Prime Minster -  but a month later Indira's Congress (I) withdrew support -  which forced a mid-term election.
1980 General elections of India was held & INC won 353 seats as a result Mrs.I. Gandhi became PM. Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane accident.
1984 -  Indira Gandhi shot dead by two of her Sikh personal bodyguards.
-  Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister of India.
-  8th general elections of India was held & INC won 404 seats.
1989 General elections of India was held & INC won 197 seats. The Janata Dal led by V P Singh secured 143 seats -  BJP 85 & Left Parties 45 seats. V.P. Singh became PM with support of BJP & Left parties.
1991 -  Rajiv Gandhi assassinated by suicide bomber sympathetic to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers(LTTE).
-  10th General elections were held. INC+ got 244 -  BJP+ 120 & NF got 69 seats. P.V. Narasimha Rao became PM with the support of Left parties.
1992 Babri Mosque in Ayodhya was demolished -  triggering widespread Hindu-Muslim violence.
1996 -  General elections were held. UF 192(Janata Dal+) won 192 -  BJP 187 -  & INC 140 seats.
-  AB Vajpayee became PM only for 13 days followed by H.D. Deve Gowda & IK Gujral (Janata Dal). The 11th Lok Sabha produced three Prime Ministers in two years.
1999 General elections were held. NDA(BJP+) won 254(182+) -  INC+ 144 & UF 64 seats.AB Vajpayee became PM.
1999 Kargil war between India & Pakistan. India came as victorious.
2004 General elections were held. UPA got 218 -  NDA 181 seats & Manmohan Singh became PM of India.
2009 General elections were held. UPA got 262 -  NDA 159 seats & Manmohan Singh became PM of India.
2014 General elections were held. BJP got 282 -  INC 44. Narendra Modi became PM  of India.
2016 India got entry into Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) group.