Nanda, Gulzarilal (1898-1998), was an Indian politician who twice served brief terms as acting prime minister of India. He held the office for the first time in 1964, following the death of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He held it again in 1966, after the death of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Nanda was born on July 4, 1898, in the city of Sialkot, in what is now Pakistan. At the time, the area was part of British India. Nanda studied economics and labor issues at Allahabad University. He soon became active in politics and joined the liberal Indian National Congress party (sometimes called the Congress Party, or just Congress). In 1922, he became secretary of the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association, a trade union founded by nationalist leader Mohandas K. Gandhi. He held that position until 1946.
In 1937, Nanda was first elected to the Legislative Assembly for the city of Bombay (now Mumbai). In 1947, India gained independence from the United Kingdom. Nanda continued to work for Bombay’s government.
In 1950, Nanda was appointed to India’s Planning Commission, which sets the country’s economic goals. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament, in 1952. In the following years, he held several different Cabinet positions, including minister for labor and employment and minister for home affairs.
India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, died in office on May 27, 1964. That day, Nanda was sworn in as acting prime minister. The ruling Indian National Congress soon elected Lal Bahadur Shastri as its new head, and he became prime minister on June 9. After Shastri died on Jan. 11, 1966, Nanda was again sworn in as acting prime minister. Thirteen days later, Congress elected Nehru’s daughter, Indira Gandhi, as its new head.
In 1997, Nanda was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civil honor. He died on Jan. 15, 1998.
