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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday completed 4,078 days in office, officially becoming the second longest-serving Prime Minister in Indian history, surpassing Indira Gandhi. Modi now stands only behind Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first Prime Minister, who held the office for 16 years and 286 days from August 15, 1947, to May 27, 1964.

This milestone comes during Modi’s visit to the United Kingdom and the Maldives, adding another layer of distinction to his political career. Modi remains India's longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister and the first non-Congress leader to complete at least two full terms. He is also the only Prime Minister born after Independence and the longest-serving PM from a non-Hindi-speaking state.

A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Modi rose from humble beginnings in Vadnagar, Gujarat, where he helped his father sell tea at a railway station. His early involvement with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and steady rise through the BJP ranks culminated in over a decade-long tenure as Gujarat’s Chief Minister before he assumed national leadership in 2014.

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Since then, Modi has led his party to three consecutive national election victories — a feat previously achieved only by Nehru. He is also the only non-Congress Prime Minister to have won a clear Lok Sabha majority on his own and the first sitting PM since Indira Gandhi to be re-elected with a majority. [Rh/Eth/VS]