<P> The Minister of External Affairs (or simply Foreign Minister) is the head of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India . One of the senior-most offices in the Union Cabinet, the chief responsibility of the Foreign Minister is to represent India and its government in the international community . The Foreign Minister also plays an important role in determining Indian foreign policy . Occasionally, the Foreign Minister is assisted by a Minister of State for External Affairs or the lower - ranked Deputy Minister of External Affairs . </P> <P> India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, also held the Foreign Minister post throughout his 17 - year premiership of the country; he remains the country's longest - serving Foreign Minister . Several other Prime Ministers have since held the additional charge of foreign minister, but never has any other cabinet minister held additional charge of the office . There have been a number of Foreign Ministers who went on to become the Prime Minister like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, P.V. Narasimha Rao and I.K. Gujral . </P> <P> The current Minister of External Affairs is Sushma Swaraj of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who took over from Salman Khurshid of the Indian National Congress on 26 May 2014 </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> No </Th> <Th> Name </Th> <Th> Portrait </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Term of office </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Political party (Alliance) </Th> <Th> Prime Minister </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Jawaharlal Nehru </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 2 September 1946 </Td> <Td> 27 May 1964 </Td> <Td> Indian National Congress </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Jawaharlal Nehru </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Gulzarilal Nanda </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 27 May 1964 </Td> <Td> 9 June 1964 </Td> <Td> Gulzarilal Nanda (acting) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Lal Bahadur Shastri </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 9 June 1964 </Td> <Td> 17 July 1964 </Td> <Td> Lal Bahadur Shastri </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Swaran Singh </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 18 July 1964 </Td> <Td> 14 November 1966 </Td> <Td> Lal Bahadur Shastri Indira Gandhi </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> M.C. Chagla </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 14 November 1966 </Td> <Td> 5 September 1967 </Td> <Td> Indira Gandhi </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 6 </Td> <Td> Indira Gandhi </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 6 September 1967 </Td> <Td> 13 February 1969 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 7 </Td> <Td> Dinesh Singh </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 14 February 1969 </Td> <Td> 27 June 1970 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> (4) </Td> <Td> Swaran Singh </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 27 June 1970 </Td> <Td> 10 October 1974 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 8 </Td> <Td> Yashwantrao Chavan </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 10 October 1974 </Td> <Td> 24 March 1977 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 9 </Td> <Td> Atal Bihari Vajpayee </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 26 March 1977 </Td> <Td> 28 July 1979 </Td> <Td> Janata Party </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Morarji Desai </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 10 </Td> <Td> Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 28 July 1979 </Td> <Td> 13 January 1980 </Td> <Td> Janata Party (Secular) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Charan Singh </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 11 </Td> <Td> P.V. Narasimha Rao </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 14 January 1980 </Td> <Td> 19 July 1984 </Td> <Td> Indian National Congress </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Indira Gandhi </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> (6) </Td> <Td> Indira Gandhi </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 19 July 1984 </Td> <Td> 31 October 1984 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 12 </Td> <Td> Rajiv Gandhi </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 31 October 1984 </Td> <Td> 24 September 1985 </Td> <Td> Rajiv Gandhi </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 13 </Td> <Td> Bali Ram Bhagat </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 25 September 1985 </Td> <Td> 12 May 1986 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 14 </Td> <Td> P. Shiv Shankar </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 12 May 1986 </Td> <Td> 22 October 1986 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 15 </Td> <Td> N.D. Tiwari </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 22 October 1986 </Td> <Td> 25 July 1987 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> (12) </Td> <Td> Rajiv Gandhi </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 25 July 1987 </Td> <Td> 25 June 1988 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> (11) </Td> <Td> P.V. Narasimha Rao </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 25 June 1988 </Td> <Td> 2 December 1989 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 16 </Td> <Td> V.P. Singh </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 2 December 1989 </Td> <Td> 5 December 1989 </Td> <Td> Janata Dal (National Front) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> V.P. Singh </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 17 </Td> <Td> I.K. Gujral </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 5 December 1989 </Td> <Td> 10 November 1990 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> Vidya Charan Shukla </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 21 November 1990 </Td> <Td> 20 February 1991 </Td> <Td> Samajwadi Janata Party </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Chandra Shekhar </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 19 </Td> <Td> Madhavsinh Solanki </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 21 June 1991 </Td> <Td> 31 March 1992 </Td> <Td> Indian National Congress </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> P.V. Narasimha Rao </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> (11) </Td> <Td> P.V. Narasimha Rao </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 31 March 1992 </Td> <Td> 18 January 1993 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> (7) </Td> <Td> Dinesh Singh </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 18 January 1993 </Td> <Td> 10 February 1995 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 20 </Td> <Td> Pranab Mukherjee </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 10 February 1995 </Td> <Td> 16 May 1996 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 21 </Td> <Td> Sikander Bakht </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 21 May 1996 </Td> <Td> 1 June 1996 </Td> <Td> Bharatiya Janata Party </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Atal Bihari Vajpayee </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> (17) </Td> <Td> I.K. Gujral </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1 June 1996 </Td> <Td> 18 March 1998 </Td> <Td> Janata Dal (United Front) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> H.D. Deve Gowda I.K. Gujral Mrs. Kamala Sinha Minister of State for External Affairs (Independent Charge) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> (9) </Td> <Td> Atal Bihari Vajpayee </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 19 March 1998 </Td> <Td> 5 December 1998 </Td> <Td> Bharatiya Janata Party (National Democratic Alliance) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Atal Bihari Vajpayee </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 22 </Td> <Td> Jaswant Singh </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 5 December 1998 </Td> <Td> 23 June 2002 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 23 </Td> <Td> Yashwant Sinha </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1 July 2002 </Td> <Td> 22 May 2004 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 24 </Td> <Td> Natwar Singh </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 22 May 2004 </Td> <Td> 6 November 2005 </Td> <Td> Indian National Congress (United Progressive Alliance) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Manmohan Singh </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 25 </Td> <Td> Manmohan Singh </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 6 November 2005 </Td> <Td> 24 October 2006 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> (20) </Td> <Td> Pranab Mukherjee </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 24 October 2006 </Td> <Td> 22 May 2009 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 26 </Td> <Td> S.M. Krishna </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 22 May 2009 </Td> <Td> 26 October 2012 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 27 </Td> <Td> Salman Khurshid </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 28 October 2012 </Td> <Td> 26 May 2014 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 28 </Td> <Td> Sushma Swaraj </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 26 May 2014 </Td> <Td> Incumbent </Td> <Td> Bharatiya Janata Party (National Democratic Alliance) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Narendra Modi </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Who become the first woman to head the india's external affairs ministry