# Minister of External Affairs (India)

The minister of external affairs (or simply, the external affairs minister Hindi: Videsh Mantri) 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 minister of external affairs is to represent the government of India in the international community and advance its interests on the global stage. As such, the minister plays an important role in shaping and directing the country's foreign policy. Typically, the minister is assisted by one or more junior ministers, known as Ministers of State (MoS) for External Affairs.
India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, simultaneously held the post of External Affairs Minister throughout his 17-year premiership and remains the longest-serving External Affairs Minister, followed by S. Jaishankar, the currently serving External Affairs Minister. Several other Prime Ministers have since held the additional charge as the Minister of External Affairs, but never has any other cabinet minister held additional charge of the office - although during Nehru's premiership V. K. Krishna Menon was acknowledged as de facto minister of external affairs beyond his official designation as defence minister. There have been a number of external affairs ministers who went on to become the prime minister like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, P. V. Narasimha Rao and I. K. Gujral. Two former career-diplomats have served as ministers of external affairs, including K. Natwar Singh (2004–2005) who served as India's ambassador to Poland and as high commissioner to Pakistan, and the current minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar who retired as the foreign secretary. Two other ministers, M. C. Chagla and I. K. Gujral also served as ambassadors, with Chagla serving as India's ambassador to the United States and high commissioner to the United Kingdom, while Gujral served as ambassador to the Soviet Union.
The current minister of external affairs is Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who succeeded Sushma Swaraj of the Bharatiya Janata Party on 30 May 2019.

## Cabinet ministers

| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | From | To | Period | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| Minister of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations |||||||||||
| 1 | | | Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) MCA for United Provinces (Prime Minister) | 15 August 1947 | 26 January 1950 | 2 years, 164 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru I | | Self |
| Minister of External Affairs |||||||||||
| (1) | | | Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) MCA for United Provinces (till 1952) MP for Phulpur (from 1952) (Prime Minister) | 26 January 1950 | 27 May 1964 | 14 years, 122 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru I | | Self |
| (1) | | | Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) MCA for United Provinces (till 1952) MP for Phulpur (from 1952) (Prime Minister) | 26 January 1950 | 27 May 1964 | 14 years, 122 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru II | | Self |
| (1) | | | Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) MCA for United Provinces (till 1952) MP for Phulpur (from 1952) (Prime Minister) | 26 January 1950 | 27 May 1964 | 14 years, 122 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru III | | Self |
| (1) | | | Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) MCA for United Provinces (till 1952) MP for Phulpur (from 1952) (Prime Minister) | 26 January 1950 | 27 May 1964 | 14 years, 122 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru IV | | Self |
| 2 | | | Gulzarilal Nanda (1898–1998) MP for Sabarkantha (Prime Minister) | 27 May 1964 | 9 June 1964 | 13 days | Indian National Congress | Nanda I | | Self |
| 3 | | | Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904–1966) MP for Allahabad (Prime Minister) | 9 June 1964 | 17 July 1964 | 38 days | Indian National Congress | Shastri | | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| 4 | | | Swaran Singh (1907–1994) MP for Jullundur | 17 July 1964 | 11 January 1966 | 2 years, 120 days | Indian National Congress | Shastri | | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| 4 | | | Swaran Singh (1907–1994) MP for Jullundur | 11 January 1966 | 24 January 1966 | 2 years, 120 days | Indian National Congress | Nanda II | | Gulzarilal Nanda |
| 4 | | | Swaran Singh (1907–1994) MP for Jullundur | 24 January 1966 | 14 November 1966 | 2 years, 120 days | Indian National Congress | Indira I | | Indira Gandhi |
| 5 | | | M. C. Chagla (1900–1981) Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra | 14 November 1966 | 13 March 1967 | 295 days | Indian National Congress | Indira I | | Indira Gandhi |
| 5 | | | M. C. Chagla (1900–1981) Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra | 13 March 1967 | 5 September 1967 | 295 days | Indian National Congress | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| 6 | | | Indira Gandhi (1917–1984) MP for Rae Bareli (Prime Minister) | 6 September 1967 | 13 February 1969 | 1 year, 160 days | Indian National Congress | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| 7 | | | Dinesh Singh (1925–1995) MP for Pratapgarh | 14 February 1969 | 27 June 1970 | 1 year, 133 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| (4) | | | Swaran Singh (1907–1994) MP for Jullundur | 27 June 1970 | 18 March 1971 | 4 years, 105 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| (4) | | | Swaran Singh (1907–1994) MP for Jullundur | 18 March 1971 | 10 October 1974 | 4 years, 105 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira III | | Indira Gandhi |
| 8 | | | Yashwantrao Chavan (1913–1984) MP for Satara | 10 October 1974 | 24 March 1977 | 2 years, 165 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira III | | Indira Gandhi |
| 9 | | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2018) MP for New Delhi | 26 March 1977 | 28 July 1979 | 2 years, 124 days | Janata Party | Desai | | Morarji Desai |
| 10 | | | Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra (1920–2004) MP for Begusarai | 28 July 1979 | 14 January 1980 | 170 days | Janata Party (Secular) | Charan | | Charan Singh |
| 11 | | | P. V. Narasimha Rao (1921–2004) MP for Hanamkonda | 14 January 1980 | 19 July 1984 | 4 years, 187 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | | Indira Gandhi |
| (6) | | | Indira Gandhi (1917–1984) MP for Medak (Prime Minister) | 19 July 1984 | 31 October 1984$^†$ | 104 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | | Indira Gandhi |
| 12 | | | Rajiv Gandhi (1944–1991) MP for Amethi (Prime Minister) | 31 October 1984 | 31 December 1984 | 328 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv I | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 12 | | | Rajiv Gandhi (1944–1991) MP for Amethi (Prime Minister) | 31 December 1984 | 24 September 1985 | 328 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 13 | | | Bali Ram Bhagat (1922–2011) MP for Arrah | 24 September 1985 | 12 May 1986 | 230 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 14 | | | P. Shiv Shankar (1929–2017) Rajya Sabha MP for Gujarat | 12 May 1986 | 22 October 1986 | 163 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 15 | | | N. D. Tiwari (1925–2018) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh | 22 October 1986 | 25 July 1987 | 276 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| (12) | | | Rajiv Gandhi (1944–1991) MP for Amethi (Prime Minister) | 25 July 1987 | 25 June 1988 | 336 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| (11) | | | P. V. Narasimha Rao (1921–2004) MP for Ramtek | 25 June 1988 | 2 December 1989 | 1 year, 160 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 16 | | | Vishwanath Pratap Singh (1931–2008) MP for Fatehpur (Prime Minister) | 2 December 1989 | 5 December 1989 | 3 days | Janata Dal | Vishwanath | | Vishwanath Pratap Singh |
| 17 | | | Inder Kumar Gujral (1919–2012) MP for Jalandhar | 5 December 1989 | 10 November 1990 | 340 days | Janata Dal | Vishwanath | | Vishwanath Pratap Singh |
| 18 | | | Chandra Shekhar (1927–2007) MP for Ballia (Prime Minister) | 10 November 1990 | 21 November 1990 | 11 days | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) | Chandra Shekhar | | Chandra Shekhar |
| 19 | | | Vidya Charan Shukla (1929–2013) MP for Mahasamund | 21 November 1990 | 20 February 1991 | 91 days | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) | Chandra Shekhar | | Chandra Shekhar |
| (18) | | | Chandra Shekhar (1927–2007) MP for Ballia (Prime Minister) | 20 February 1991 | 21 June 1991 | 121 days | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) | Chandra Shekhar | | Chandra Shekhar |
| 20 | | | Madhavsinh Solanki (1927–2021) Rajya Sabha MP for Gujarat | 21 June 1991 | 31 March 1992 | 284 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| (11) | | | P. V. Narasimha Rao (1921–2004) MP for Nandyal (Prime Minister) | 31 March 1992 | 18 January 1993 | 293 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| (7) | | | Dinesh Singh (1925–1995) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh | 18 January 1993 | 10 February 1995 | 2 years, 23 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 21 | | | Pranab Mukherjee (1935–2020) Rajya MP for West Bengal | 10 February 1995 | 16 May 1996 | 1 year, 96 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| (9) | | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2018) MP for Lucknow (Prime Minister) | 16 May 1996 | 21 May 1996 | 5 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee I | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 22 | | | Sikander Bakht (1918–2004) Rajya Sabha MP for Madhya Pradesh | 21 May 1996 | 1 June 1996 | 11 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee I | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| (17) | | | Inder Kumar Gujral (1919–2012) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar (Prime Minister from 21 April 1997) | 1 June 1996 | 21 April 1997 | 1 year, 290 days | Janata Dal | Deve Gowda | | H. D. Deve Gowda |
| (17) | | | Inder Kumar Gujral (1919–2012) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar (Prime Minister from 21 April 1997) | 21 April 1997 | 18 March 1998 | 1 year, 290 days | Janata Dal | Gujral | | Self |
| (9) | | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2018) MP for Lucknow (Prime Minister) | 19 March 1998 | 5 December 1998 | 261 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee II | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 23 | | | Jaswant Singh (1938–2020) Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan | 5 December 1998 | 13 October 1999 | 3 years, 208 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee II | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 23 | | | Jaswant Singh (1938–2020) Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan | 13 October 1999 | 1 July 2002 | 3 years, 208 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 24 | | | Yashwant Sinha (born 1937) MP for Hazaribagh | 1 July 2002 | 22 May 2004 | 1 year, 326 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 25 | | | K. Natwar Singh (1931–2024) Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan | 23 May 2004 | 6 November 2005 | 1 year, 167 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan I | | Manmohan Singh |
| 26 | | | Manmohan Singh (1932–2024) Rajya Sabha MP for Assam (Prime Minister) | 6 November 2005 | 24 October 2006 | 352 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan I | | Manmohan Singh |
| (21) | | | Pranab Mukherjee (1935–2020) MP for Jangipur | 24 October 2006 | 22 May 2009 | 2 years, 210 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan I | | Manmohan Singh |
| 27 | | | S. M. Krishna (1932–2024) Rajya Sabha MP for Karnataka | 23 May 2009 | 28 October 2012 | 3 years, 158 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 28 | | | Salman Khurshid (born 1953) MP for Farrukhabad | 28 October 2012 | 26 May 2014 | 1 year, 210 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 29 | | | Sushma Swaraj (1952–2019) MP for Vidisha | 26 May 2014 | 30 May 2019 | 5 years, 4 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| 30 | | | S. Jaishankar (born 1955) Rajya Sabha MP for Gujarat | 31 May 2019 | Incumbent | 5 years, 282 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 30 | | | S. Jaishankar (born 1955) Rajya Sabha MP for Gujarat | 31 May 2019 | Incumbent | 5 years, 282 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi III | | Narendra Modi |

## Ministers of state

| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | From | To | Period | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| 1 | | | Syed Mahmud (1889–1971) MP for Gopalganj | 7 December 1954 | 17 April 1957 | 2 years, 131 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru II | | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 2 | | | Lakshmi N. Menon (1899–1994) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar | 16 April 1962 | 24 January 1966 | 3 years, 283 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru IV | | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 2 | | | Lakshmi N. Menon (1899–1994) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar | 16 April 1962 | 24 January 1966 | 3 years, 283 days | Indian National Congress | Nanda I | | Gulzarilal Nanda |
| 2 | | | Lakshmi N. Menon (1899–1994) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar | 16 April 1962 | 24 January 1966 | 3 years, 283 days | Indian National Congress | Shastri | | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| 2 | | | Lakshmi N. Menon (1899–1994) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar | 16 April 1962 | 24 January 1966 | 3 years, 283 days | Indian National Congress | Nanda II | | Gulzarilal Nanda |
| 3 | | | Dinesh Singh (1925–1995) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh | 24 January 1966 | 13 March 1967 | 1 year, 48 days | Indian National Congress | Indira I | | Indira Gandhi |
| 4 | | | Bali Ram Bhagat (1922–2011) MP for Arrah | 14 November 1967 | 14 February 1969 | 1 year, 92 days | Indian National Congress | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| 5 | | | Surendra Pal Singh (1917–2009) MP for Bulandshahr | 5 February 1973 | 10 October 1974 | 1 year, 247 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira III | | Indira Gandhi |
| 6 | | | Samarendra Kundu (1930–?) MP for Balasore | 14 August 1977 | 28 July 1979 | 1 year, 348 days | Janata Party | Desai | | Morarji Desai |
| 7 | | | Bedabrata Barua (born 1928) MP for Kaliabor | 4 August 1979 | 14 January 1980 | 163 days | Indian National Congress (Urs) | Charan | | Charan Singh |
| 8 | | | A. A. Rahim (1920–1995) MP for Chirayinkil | 2 September 1982 | 31 October 1984 | 2 years, 59 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | | Indira Gandhi |
| 9 | | | Ram Niwas Mirdha (1924–2010) Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan | 2 August 1984 | 31 October 1984 | 90 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | | Indira Gandhi |
| (8) | | | A. A. Rahim (1920–1995) MP for Chirayinkil | 4 November 1984 | 31 December 1984 | 57 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv I | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| (9) | | | Ram Niwas Mirdha (1924–2010) Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan | 4 November 1984 | 31 December 1984 | 57 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv I | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 10 | | | Khurshed Alam Khan (1919–2013) MP for Farrukhabad | 31 December 1984 | 25 September 1985 | 268 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv II | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 11 | | | K. R. Narayanan (1921–2005) MP for Ottapalam | 25 September 1985 | 22 October 1986 | 1 year, 27 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv II | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 12 | | | Eduardo Faleiro (born 1940) MP for Mormugao | 12 May 1986 | 14 February 1988 | 1 year, 278 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv II | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 13 | | | K. Natwar Singh (1929–2024) MP for Bharatpur | 22 October 1986 | 2 December 1989 | 3 years, 41 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv II | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 14 | | | Kamla Kant Tiwari MP for Buxar | 25 June 1988 | 22 April 1989 | 301 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv II | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 15 | | | Hari Kishore Singh (1934–2013) MP for Sheohar | 23 April 1990 | 10 November 1990 | 201 days | Indian People's Front | Vishwanath | | Vishwanath Pratap Singh |
| 16 | | | Eduardo Faleiro (born 1940) MP for Mormugao | 21 June 1991 | 18 January 1993 | 1 year, 211 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 17 | | | R. L. Bhatia (1920–2021) MP for Amritsar | 2 July 1992 | 16 May 1993 | 318 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 18 | | | Salman Khurshid (born 1953) MP for Farrukhabad | 18 January 1993 | 16 May 1996 | 3 years, 119 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 19 | | | Saleem Iqbal Shervani (born 1953) MP for Badaun | 9 June 1997 | 19 March 1998 | 332 days | Samajwadi Party | Gujral | | Inder Kumar Gujral |
| 20 | | | Kamala Sinha (1932–2014) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar | 9 June 1997 | 19 March 1998 | 332 days | Janata Dal | Gujral | | Inder Kumar Gujral |
| 21 | | | Vasundhara Raje (born 1953) MP for Jhalawar | 20 March 1998 | 13 October 1999 | 1 year, 207 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee II | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 22 | | | Ajit Kumar Panja (1936–2008) MP for Calcutta North East | 13 October 1999 | 16 March 2001 | 1 year, 154 days | All India Trinamool Congress | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 23 | | | Krishnam Raju (1940–2022) MP for Narasapuram | 30 September 2000 | 22 July 2001 | 295 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 24 | | | Omar Abdullah (born 1970) MP for Srinagar | 22 July 2001 | 23 December 2002 | 1 year, 154 days | Jammu and Kashmir National Conference | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 25 | | | Digvijay Singh (1955–2010) MP for Banka | 1 July 2002 | 22 May 2004 | 1 year, 326 days | Janata Dal (United) | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 26 | | | Vinod Khanna (1946–2017) MP for Gurdaspur | 29 January 2003 | 22 May 2004 | 1 year, 114 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 27 | | | E. Ahamed (1938–2017) MP for Ponnani | 23 May 2004 | 22 May 2009 | 4 years, 364 days | Indian Union Muslim League | Manmohan I | | Manmohan Singh |
| 28 | | | Rao Inderjit Singh (born 1951) MP for Mahendragarh | 22 May 2004 | 29 January 2006 | 1 year, 252 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan I | | Manmohan Singh |
| 29 | | | Anand Sharma (born 1953) Rajya Sabha MP for Himachal Pradesh | 29 January 2006 | 22 May 2009 | 3 years, 113 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan I | | Manmohan Singh |
| 30 | | | Preneet Kaur (born 1944) MP for Patiala | 28 May 2009 | 26 May 2014 | 4 years, 363 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 31 | | | Shashi Tharoor (born 1956) MP for Thiruvananthapuram | 28 May 2009 | 19 April 2010 | 326 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 32 | | | E. Ahamed (1938–2017) MP for Malappuram | 19 January 2011 | 26 May 2014 | 3 years, 127 days | Indian Union Muslim League | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 33 | | | General V. K. Singh (Retd.) PVSM AVSM YSM ADC (born 1950) MP for Ghaziabad | 26 May 2014 | 30 May 2019 | 5 years, 4 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| 34 | | | M. J. Akbar (born 1951) Rajya Sabha MP for Madhya Pradesh | 5 July 2016 | 17 October 2018 | 2 years, 104 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| 35 | | | V. Muraleedharan (born 1958) Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra | 31 May 2019 | 9 June 2024 | 5 years, 9 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 36 | | | Meenakshi Lekhi (born 1967) MP for New Delhi | 7 July 2021 | 9 June 2024 | 2 years, 338 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 37 | | | Rajkumar Ranjan Singh (born 1952) MP for Inner Manipur | 7 July 2021 | 9 June 2024 | 2 years, 338 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 38 | | | Kirti Vardhan Singh (born 1966) MP for Gonda | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | 272 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi III | | Narendra Modi |
| 39 | | | Pabitra Margherita (born 1974) Rajya Sabha MP for Assam | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | 272 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi III | | Narendra Modi |

## Deputy ministers

| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | From | To | Period | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| Deputy Minister of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations |||||||||||
| 1 | | | B. V. Keskar (1903–1984) MCA for Madras | 7 December 1948 | 26 January 1950 | 1 year, 50 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru I | | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| Deputy Minister of External Affairs |||||||||||
| (1) | | | B. V. Keskar (1903–1984) MCA for Madras | 31 January 1950 | 13 May 1952 | 2 years, 103 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru I | | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 2 | | | Anil Kumar Chanda (1906–1976) MP for Birbhum | 12 August 1952 | 17 April 1957 | 4 years, 262 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru II | | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 2 | | | Anil Kumar Chanda (1906–1976) MP for Birbhum | 17 April 1957 | 1 May 1957 | 4 years, 262 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru III | | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 3 | | | Lakshmi N. Menon (1899–1994) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar | 17 April 1957 | 10 April 1962 | 4 years, 358 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru III | | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 4 | | | Dinesh Singh (1925–1995) MP for Pratapgarh | 8 May 1962 | 27 May 1964 | 3 years, 261 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru IV | | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 4 | | | Dinesh Singh (1925–1995) MP for Pratapgarh | 27 May 1964 | 9 June 1964 | 3 years, 261 days | Indian National Congress | Nanda I | | Gulzarilal Nanda |
| 4 | | | Dinesh Singh (1925–1995) MP for Pratapgarh | 15 June 1964 | 11 January 1966 | 3 years, 261 days | Indian National Congress | Shastri | | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| 4 | | | Dinesh Singh (1925–1995) MP for Pratapgarh | 11 January 1966 | 24 January 1966 | 3 years, 261 days | Indian National Congress | Nanda II | | Gulzarilal Nanda |
| 5 | | | Surendra Pal Singh (1917–2009) MP for Bulandshahr | 18 March 1967 | 18 March 1971 | 5 years, 352 days | Indian National Congress | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| 5 | | | Surendra Pal Singh (1917–2009) MP for Bulandshahr | 18 March 1967 | Indian National Congress (R) | 5 years, 352 days | | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| 5 | | | Surendra Pal Singh (1917–2009) MP for Bulandshahr | 18 March 1971 | Indian National Congress (R) | 5 years, 352 days | | 5 February 1973 | Indira III | Indira Gandhi |
| 6 | | | Bipinpal Das (1923–2005) Rajya Sabha MP for Assam | 17 October 1974 | Indian National Congress (R) | 24 March 1977 | | 2 years, 158 days | Indira III | Indira Gandhi |
| 7 | | | Digvijay Singh (1955–2010) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar | 28 November 1990 | 21 June 1991 | 205 days | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) | Chandra Shekhar | | Chandra Shekhar |