Who among the following had the shortest span in office as the Prime Minister of India?
- (a)Lal Bahadur Shastri
- (b)Chaudhary Charan Singh
- (c)Chandra Shekhar
- (d)H. D. Deve Gowda
Correct — B, Chaudhary Charan Singh. Among the four, Charan Singh served the briefest term — Prime Minister only from late July 1979 to mid-January 1980 (a matter of months, and as a caretaker who famously never faced the Lok Sabha). Lal Bahadur Shastri (about 19 months), Chandra Shekhar (about 7 months) and H. D. Deve Gowda (about 11 months) all held office longer.
- (a)Lal Bahadur Shastri — Shastri was Prime Minister for about 19 months (1964–66), much longer than Charan Singh's few months.
- (c)Chandra Shekhar — Chandra Shekhar served roughly 7 months (1990–91) — longer than Charan Singh's tenure.
- (d)H. D. Deve Gowda — Deve Gowda was Prime Minister for about 11 months (1996–97), again longer than Charan Singh.
The Prime Minister of India is the head of government, holding office as long as the Council of Ministers commands the confidence of the Lok Sabha. Several PMs have had very short tenures when governments were unstable or short-lived, especially during the coalition-heavy period from the late 1970s to the 1990s.
The question compares four PMs' lengths of service. Charan Singh's government fell before he could prove a majority, giving him the shortest span of the four. Note that Atal Bihari Vajpayee's first term (1996) was even briefer at 13 days, but he is not among the options.
- Chaudhary Charan Singh was PM from July 1979 to January 1980 and never faced the Lok Sabha.
- Lal Bahadur Shastri served about 19 months (1964–1966).
- Chandra Shekhar served about 7 months (1990–1991); H. D. Deve Gowda about 11 months (1996–1997).
- The Prime Minister holds office while retaining the confidence of the Lok Sabha.
Of the four options, Chaudhary Charan Singh had the shortest span in office as Prime Minister.
- Recalling Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 13-day term and looking for him — he is not an option.
- Confusing order of service with length of service.
A comparison-recall question — rank the listed Prime Ministers by length of tenure.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Who was the first Prime Minister of India to lose a vote of confidence on the floor of the Lok Sabha?
- (a)Morarji Desai
- (b)V. P. Singh
- (c)Chandra Shekhar
- (d)Chaudhary Charan Singh
Answer(b) V. P. Singh — his government fell after losing a confidence vote in 1990.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Prime Minister of India is appointed by the
- (a)Chief Justice of India
- (b)President
- (c)Speaker of the Lok Sabha
- (d)Vice-President
Answer(b) President — who appoints the leader commanding a Lok Sabha majority.