# First Nehru ministry

After power transformation, on 15 August 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru assumed office as the first Prime Minister of India and chose fifteen ministers to form the First Nehru ministry.

## Background

The Constituent Assembly was set up while India was still under British rule, following negotiations between Indian leaders and members of the 1946 Cabinet Mission to India from the United Kingdom. The provincial assembly elections had been conducted early in 1946. The Constituent Assembly members were elected to it indirectly by the members of these newly elected provincial assemblies, and initially included representatives for those provinces which came to form part of Pakistan, some of which are now within Bangladesh. The Constituent Assembly had 299 representatives, including nine women.
The Interim Government of India was formed on 2 September 1946 from the newly elected Constituent Assembly. The Indian National Congress held a large majority in the Assembly, with 69 percent of all of the seats, while the Muslim League held almost all of the seats reserved in the Assembly for Muslims. There were also some members from smaller parties, such as the Scheduled Caste Federation, the Communist Party of India, and the Unionist Party. In June 1947, the delegations from the provinces of Sindh, East Bengal, Baluchistan, West Punjab, and the North West Frontier Province withdrew, to form the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, meeting in Karachi. On 15 August 1947, the Dominion of India and Dominion of Pakistan became independent nations, and the members of the Constituent Assembly who had not withdrawn to Karachi became India's Parliament. Only 28 members of the Muslim League finally joined the Indian Assembly. Later, 93 members were nominated from the princely states. The Congress thus secured a majority of 82%
Jawaharlal Nehru took charge as the first Prime Minister of India on 15 August 1947, and chose 15 other members for his cabinet. Vallabhbhai Patel served as the first Deputy Prime Minister until his death on 15 December 1950. Lord Mountbatten, and later C. Rajagopalachari, served as Governor-General until 26 January 1950, when Rajendra Prasad was elected as the first President of India.

## Cabinet members

There were members from Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Parsi communities represented in India's first ministry. There were two members from the Dalit community represented as well. Rajkumari Amrit Kaur was the only female Cabinet minister. The following is a list of the ministers in the first Cabinet.

### Key

* $^†$ Died in office
* $^{RES}$ Resigned
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party |
| Prime Minister Minister of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations Minister of Scientific Research | Jawaharlal Nehru | 15 August 1947 | Second Nehru ministry | INC |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | 15 August 1947 | 15 December 1950 | INC |
| Minister of Home Affairs and States | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | 15 August 1947 | 15 December 1950 | INC |
| Minister of Home Affairs and States | C. Rajagopalachari | 26 December 1950 | 25 October 1951 | INC |
| Minister of Home Affairs and States | Kailash Nath Katju | 1951 | Second Nehru ministry | INC |
| Minister of Information and Broadcasting | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | 15 August 1947 | 1 April 1949 | INC |
| Minister of Information and Broadcasting | R. R. Diwakar | 1 April 1949 | 15 April 1952 | INC |
| Minister of Finance | R. K. Shanmukham Chetty | 15 August 1947 | 1948 | Justice Party |
| Minister of Finance | John Matthai | 6 May 1950 | 1950 | Independent |
| Minister of Finance | C. D. Deshmukh | 1950 | Second Nehru ministry | INC |
| Minister of Law and Justice | B. R. Ambedkar | 15 August 1947 | 6 October 1951 | SCF |
| Minister of Defence | Baldev Singh | 15 August 1947 | Second Nehru ministry | Panthic Party |
| Minister of Railways and Minister of Transport | John Matthai | 15 August 1947 | 22 September 1948 | INC |
| Minister of Railways and Minister of Transport | N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar | 22 September 1948 | Second Nehru ministry | INC |
| Minister of Education | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad | 15 August 1947 | Second Nehru ministry | INC |
| Minister of Food and Agriculture | Rajendra Prasad | 15 August 1947 | 14 Jan 1948 | INC |
| Minister of Food and Agriculture | Jairamdas Daulatram | 19 Jan 1948 | 13 May 1950 | INC |
| Minister of Industries and Supplies | Syama Prasad Mukherjee | 15 August 1947 | 6 April 1950 | Hindu Mahasabha |
| Minister of Industries and Supplies | Harekrushna Mahatab | 13 May 1950 | 26 December 1950 | INC |
| Minister of Labour | Jagjivan Ram | 15 August 1947 | 15 April 1952 | INC |
| Minister of Commerce | Cooverji Hormusji Bhabha | 15 August 1947 | 15 April 1952 | Independent |
| Minister of Communications | Rafi Ahmed Kidwai | 15 August 1947 | 15 April 1952 | INC |
| Minister of Health | Amrit Kaur | 15 August 1947 | 15 April 1952 | INC |
| Minister of Works, Minister ofMines and Power | Narhar Vishnu Gadgil | 15 August 1947 | 15 April 1952 | INC |
| Minister of Relief and Rehabilitation | K. C. Neogy | 15 August 1947 | April 1950 | INC |
| Minister without portfolio | N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar | 15 August 1947 | 22 September 1948 | INC |
| Minister without portfolio | Mohanlal Saxena | 15 August 1947 | 15 April 1952 | INC |

## Deputy Ministers

| S.no | | Name | | | Period |
| 1. | Deputy Minister of Works, Mines and Power | Surendranath Buragohain | 14 August 1950 | 26 December 1950 | 134 days |
| 1. | Deputy Minister of Works, Production and Supply | Surendranath Buragohain | 26 December 1950 | 13 May 1952 | 1 year 139 days |
| 2. | Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting | R. R. Diwakar | 7 October 1948 | 26 January 1950 | 1 year 111 days |
| 3. | Deputy Minister of Finance | Mahavir Tyagi | 16 February 1951 | 13 May 1952 | |
| 4. | Minister of State for Railways | K. Santhanam | 1 October 1948 | 10 March 1952 | 3 years, 241 days |
| 4. | Minister of Road Transport and Highways | K. Santhanam | 1 October 1948 | 17 April 1952 | 3 years 199 days |
| 5. | Deputy Minister of Railways | B. V. Keskar | 10 March 1952 | 13 May 1952 | 64 days |
| 5. | Deputy Minister of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations | B. V. Keskar | 7 December 1948 | 26 January 1950 | 1 year, 50 days |
| 5. | Deputy Minister of External Affairs | B. V. Keskar | 31 January 1950 | 13 May 1952 | 2 years, 103 days |
| 6. | Deputy Minister of Defence | Kumar Shree Himmatsinhji Jadeja | 14 August 1950 | 29 February 1952 | 1 year, 199 days |
| 7. | Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture | Mosalikanti Thirumala Rao | 21 August 1950 | 13 May 1952 | 1 year, 266 days |
| 8. | Deputy Minister of Communications | Khurshed Lal | 1 October 1948 | 29 January 1951 | 2 years, 120 days |
| 9. | Deputy Minister of Communications | Raj Bahadur | 29 January 1951 | 13 May 1952 | 1 year, 105 days |
| 10. | Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry | Dattatraya Parashuram Karmarkar | August | 13 May | |
| 11. | Deputy Minister of Parliamentary Affairs | Satya Narayan Sinha | 1 October 1948 | 26 February 1949 | 148 days |
| 12. | Deputy Minister of Home Affairs | Rustom Khurshedji Sidhwa | 11 October 1951 | 13 May 1952 | 215 days |