From Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi
Thirteen Prime Ministers have hoisted the tricolour at the Red Fort since 1947 — and two never got the chance. The tradition that turned a Mughal rampart into the stage on which India speaks to itself.
It was the morning of 15 August 1947. British rule had ended, and for the first time the Indian tricolour was hoisted at the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort. Thirteen Prime Ministers have stood on those ramparts since. Two never got the chance.
The honour of that first hoisting went to the country's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. From 1947 to 1964 he hoisted the flag at the Red Fort seventeen times in a row. This is where the tradition began — that every year the Prime Minister would address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort. After Nehru, the responsibility became a moment of pride for every PM who followed.
The tally
Indira Gandhi hoisted the tricolour sixteen times across her two terms. Dr Manmohan Singh did it ten times, and Rajiv Gandhi and P. V. Narasimha Rao five times each. Among non-Congress Prime Ministers, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's name stands out: he hoisted the flag six times from the Red Fort and became the non-Congress PM with the most hoistings.
| Prime Minister | Years at the Red Fort |
|---|---|
| Jawaharlal Nehru | 1947–1963 |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri | 1964, 1965 |
| Indira Gandhi | 1966–1976, 1980–1984 |
| Morarji Desai | 1977–78 |
| Chaudhary Charan Singh | 1979 |
| Rajiv Gandhi | 1985–1989 |
| V. P. Singh | 1990 |
| P. V. Narasimha Rao | 1991–1995 |
| H. D. Deve Gowda | 1996 |
| I. K. Gujral | 1997 |
| Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 1998–2003 |
| Manmohan Singh | 2004–2013 |
| Narendra Modi | 2014–2025 |
The current record
Today's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has been hoisting the flag continuously since 2014. In 2025 he hoisted the tricolour for the twelfth time, breaking the records of both Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. He is the first non-Congress Prime Minister to receive this honour so many times.
The two who never got the chance
There were also two Prime Ministers who never got this opportunity — Gulzari Lal Nanda and Chandrashekhar. Both had short tenures, and the 15th of August did not fall during their time in office.
“The Red Fort is not just bricks and stone. It is a symbol of freedom and leadership.”
From Nehru to Modi, every Prime Minister standing here has given voice to the country's dreams, struggles and resolve.