Who among the following became the Prime Minister of India without being earlier the Chief Minister of a State?

I. Morarji Desai
II. Charan Singh
III. V. P. Singh
IV. Chandra Shekhar
V. P. V. Narasimha Rao

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

Codes:

A) I, II and IV
B) II, III and V
C) II only
D) IV only

Answer: option 4. Of the persons listed, only Chandrashekhar became Prime Minister without earlier serving as a State Chief Minister. Morarji Desai had earlier been Chief Minister of Bombay State, and later became Prime Minister in 1977–79 [1]. Both Charan Singh and P. V. Narasimha Rao had prominent state-level careers including tenures as Chief Ministers, and therefore do not meet the criterion. Chandra Shekhar was a long‑time parliamentarian and national leader who became Prime Minister in 1990 without having served as a Chief Minister of any state. Hence only IV fits the description of becoming PM without earlier being a state Chief Minister.

Sources

1. [1] Politics in India since Independence, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: The Crisis of Democratic Order > Lok Sabha Elections, 1977 > p. 103