<P> India follows a parliamentary system in which the prime minister is the presiding head of the government and chief of the executive of the government . In such systems, the head of state, or, the head of state's official representative (i.e., the monarch, president, or governor - general) usually holds a purely ceremonial position and acts--on most matters--only on the advice of the prime minister . </P> <P> The prime minister--if they are not already--shall become a member of parliament within six months of beginning his / her tenure . A prime minister is expected to work with other central ministers to ensure the passage of bills by the parliament . </P> <P> Since 1947, there have been 14 different prime ministers . The first few decades after 1947 saw the Indian National Congress' (INC) almost complete domination over the political map of India . India's first prime minister--Jawaharlal Nehru--took oath on 15 August 1947 . Nehru went on to serve as prime minister for 17 consecutive years, winning four general elections in the process . His tenure ended in May 1964, on his death . After the death of Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri--a former home minister and a leader of the Congress party--ascended to the position of prime minister . Shastri's tenure saw the Indo - Pakistani War of 1965 . Shashtri subsequently died of a reported heart attack in Tashkent, after signing the Tashkent Declaration . </P> <P> After Shastri, Indira Gandhi--Nehru's daughter--was elected as the country's first woman prime minister . Indira's first term in office lasted 11 years, in which she took steps such as nationalization of banks; end of allowances and political posts, which were received by members of the royal families of the erstwhile princely states of British India . In addition, events such as the Indo - Pakistani War of 1971; the establishment of a sovereign Bangladesh; accession of Sikkim to India, through a referendum in 1975; and India's first nuclear test in Pokhran occurred during Indira's first term . In 1975, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed--on Indira's advice--imposed a state of emergency, therefore, bestowing the government with the power to rule by decree, the period is known for human right violations . </P>

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