Home Minister of India, also referred to as the Minister of Home Affairs, is appointed by the President based on the Prime Minister's recommendations. The ministry is responsible for maintaining the internal security of the nation.
The first Home Minister of Independent India was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, serving under President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Indira Gandhi served as the first and only female Home Minister of India, and she has also held the position of Prime Minister. The current Home Minister of India is Amit Shah, who has been in office since May 31, 2019. Below is the list of Home Ministers of India.
Home Minister of India List
Amit Shah, a member of the Bhartiya Janata Party, was sworn in as the 31st Home Minister of India in the second term of the Modi administration on May 30, 2019. Lal Krishna Advani holds the record for being the longest-serving Home Minister for a continuous period of 6 years and 64 days from March 19, 1998, to May 22, 2004. The following table lists the Home Ministers of India from 1947 to 2025, including their terms and affiliated parties.
| S. No | Home Minister | Office Term From | To | Party Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | 2 September 1946 | 12 December 1950 | INC |
| 2 | Jawaharlal Nehru | 12 December 1950 | 26 December 1950 | INC |
| 3 | C. Rajagopalachari | 26 December 1950 | 25 October 1951 | INC |
| 4 | Kailash Nath Katju | 5 November 1951 | 10 January 1955 | INC |
| 5 | G. B. Pant | 10 January 1955 | 25 February 1961 | INC |
| 6 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | 25 February 1961 | 1 September 1963 | INC |
| 7 | Gulzarilal Nanda | 1 September 1963 | 9 November 1966 | INC |
| 8 | Indira Gandhi | 9 November 1966 | 13 November 1966 | INC |
| 9 | Yashwantrao Chavan | 13 November 1966 | 27 June 1970 | INC |
| - | Indira Gandhi | 27 June 1970 | 5 February 1973 | INC |
| 10 | Uma Shankar Dikshit | 5 February 1973 | 10 October 1974 | INC |
| 11 | Kasu Brahmananda Reddy | 10 October 1974 | 24 March 1977 | INC |
| 12 | Charan Singh | 24 March 1977 | 1 July 1978 | Janata Party |
| 13 | Morarji Desai | 1 July 1978 | 24 January 1979 | Janata Party |
| 14 | Hirubhai M. Patel | 24 January 1979 | 28 July 1979 | Janata Party |
| - | Yashwantrao Chavan | 28 July 1979 | 14 January 1980 | INC |
| 15 | Giani Zail Singh | 14 January 1980 | 22 June 1982 | INC |
| 16 | Ramaswamy Venkataraman | 22 June 1982 | 2 September 1982 | INC |
| 17 | Prakash Chandra Sethi | 2 September 1982 | 19 July 1984 | INC |
| 18 | P. V. Narasimha Rao | 19 July 1984 | 31 December 1984 | INC |
| 19 | Shankarrao Chavan | 31 December 1984 | 12 March 1986 | INC |
| - | P. V. Narasimha Rao | 12 March 1986 | 12 May 1986 | INC |
| 20 | Sardar Buta Singh | 12 May 1986 | 2 December 1989 | INC |
| 21 | Mufti Mohammad Sayeed | 2 December 1989 | 10 November 1990 | Janata Dal |
| 22 | Chandra Shekhar | 10 November 1990 | 21 June 1991 | Samajwadi Janata Party |
| - | Shankarrao Chavan | 21 June 1991 | 16 May 1996 | INC |
| 23 | Murli Manohar Joshi | 16 May 1996 | 1 June 1996 | BJP |
| 24 | H. D. Deve Gowda | 1 June 1996 | 29 June 1996 | Janata Dal |
| 25 | Indrajit Gupta | 29 June 1996 | 19 March 1998 | Communist Party of India |
| 26 | Lal Krishna Advani | 19 March 1998 | 22 May 2004 | BJP |
| 27 | Shivraj Patil | 22 May 2004 | 30 November 2008 | INC |
| 28 | P. Chidambaram | 30 November 2008 | 31 July 2012 | INC |
| 29 | Sushilkumar Shinde | 31 July 2012 | 26 May 2014 | INC |
| 30 | Rajnath Singh | 26 May 2014 | 30 May 2019 | BJP |
| 31 | Amit Shah | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP |
