Vision Academy EducareVision Academy Educare
Question 32 of 78 · Union Executive: President, VP & PM
Questionmedium
This question was previously asked in

SSC

The Prime Minister of India who resigned without ever facing the Lok Sabha as Prime Minister was:

Answer View answer ▾

Answer: Option A — Chaudhary Charan Singh

Detailed Solution

Chaudhary Charan Singh served as Prime Minister from 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980, a period of about 170 days, and he resigned without ever facing the Lok Sabha as Prime Minister. His is often cited as the shortest tenure in the office.

How he became Prime Minister:

  • The Janata Party government of Morarji Desai fell in July 1979 after defections.
  • The President invited Charan Singh to form the government with the outside support of the Congress led by Indira Gandhi.
  • Charan Singh was asked to prove his majority in the Lok Sabha within a certain time.

Why his tenure was short:

  • The Congress withdrew its support before he could face a confidence vote.
  • He resigned without ever facing the Lok Sabha as Prime Minister.
  • The Lok Sabha was dissolved, and he continued as caretaker Prime Minister until the 1980 elections.

About Charan Singh:

  • He was a farmers' leader from Uttar Pradesh and a strong supporter of land reform.
  • He was Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh twice.
  • He served as Union Home Minister in the Janata government and later as Deputy Prime Minister.
  • His birthday, 23 December, is celebrated as Kisan Diwas (Farmers' Day).
  • He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 2024.

Other short tenures:

Chandra Shekhar served for about seven months in 1990 and 1991.

H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral each served for less than a year.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Chandra Shekhar, Deve Gowda and Gujral all served for less than a year, but each of them faced the Lok Sabha as Prime Minister.

Quick tip

Remember: Charan Singh (about 170 days, 1979 to 1980) is the only PM who never faced the Lok Sabha as PM.

💬 Discussions on this question

Ask a doubt ›

Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.

Ask a doubt

More Union Executive: President, VP & PM Questions

View all ›
  1. Q1.'There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at the head to aid and advise the President' is provided in:
  2. Q2.Along with the elected members of Parliament and state Legislative Assemblies, the elected members of which Union Territory assemblies vote in the election of the President?
  3. Q3.Under which Article can the President seek the opinion of the Supreme Court on a question of law or fact?
  4. Q4.According to Article 53, the executive power of the Union is vested in the:
  5. Q5.A bill becomes an Act after being passed by both Houses of Parliament and receiving the assent of the:

More General Knowledge Questions

  1. Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
  2. Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
  3. Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
  4. Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
  5. Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms

Union Executive: President, VP & PM — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Union Executive: President, VP & PM, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the Union Executive: the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, and the Attorney General. It includes their election or appointment, qualifications, powers, removal, and the relationship between the President and the Council of Ministers. Common questions cover the electoral college that elects the President, impeachment under Article 61, the President's ordinance-making power (Article 123) and pardoning power (Article 72), and the fact that the Vice-President is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Lists of past Presidents and Prime Ministers are also tested. Practise the Union Executive questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

‹ All Union Executive: President, VP & PM questionsBrowse all topics ›