This is a plain, dated Narendra Modi life timeline. It runs from his birth in Vadnagar, Gujarat, in 1950 to his third term as Prime Minister in June 2024. Each entry says where the date comes from. Where an episode is disputed, we say so briefly and give the court outcome or the main sources.
We wrote it because the proposal for a Modi Mandir in Patna rests on claims about his life and record. To judge those claims, readers need the basic facts in one place. This page does not praise or attack anyone. It sets out what is on the record, and at the end it shows which parts of the story appear in the temple proposal and the "Modi Chalisa" event.
Key takeaways
- Narendra Damodardas Modi was born on 17 September 1950 in Vadnagar, in what is now Gujarat. The official PM profile says his family belonged to the "other backward class".
- The story that he helped at his father's tea stall at Vadnagar railway station comes from Modi himself and people who knew the family. No record from the time exists, as is usual for a child's work.
- He became a full-time RSS pracharak in 1971, was assigned to the BJP in 1985, and was sworn in as Chief Minister of Gujarat on 7 October 2001.
- In 2022 the Supreme Court upheld the clean chit given by a court-appointed Special Investigation Team to Modi and 63 others over the 2002 Gujarat riots.
- He was sworn in as Prime Minister on 26 May 2014, 30 May 2019 and 9 June 2024. In 2024 the BJP fell short of a majority on its own and governs with allies.
How we built this timeline
We used the Prime Minister's official profile on pmindia.gov.in, government releases, court reporting and established news outlets. For early-life details that no government document covers, we relied on the widely used Wikipedia biography, and we say so. We do not include claims we could not trace to a source.
Some dates need care. A decision can be announced on one day and take effect on another. For example, the end of the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes was announced on the evening of 8 November 2016 and took effect from midnight. Where this happens, we give both.
Early life in Vadnagar, 1950 to 1971
- 17 September 1950: Born in Vadnagar, Mehsana district, then part of Bombay State and now in Gujarat. He was the third of six children of Damodardas Mulchand Modi and Hiraben Modi. The official PM profile says he grew up in a poor family "without a spare rupee" and that the family belonged to the "other backward class".
- Childhood: Modi has said that as a boy he helped at his father's tea stall at Vadnagar railway station. The Wikipedia biography notes that he and his neighbours give this account. We present it as his own story, because no independent record from the time exists.
- Around age eight: He began attending shakhas, the local meetings, of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to the Wikipedia biography.
- 1967 and 1968: He finished higher secondary school in Vadnagar. In 1968 he was married to Jashodaben in an arranged marriage, but he soon left home. The marriage was not publicly acknowledged by him until April 2014.
- Late 1960s: He spent about two years travelling across northern and north-eastern India.
Much of this period is known mainly through Modi's own accounts and later interviews. That is normal for the childhood of a public figure, but it means these details cannot be checked the way an election result can.
RSS organiser and BJP rise, 1971 to 2001
For three decades Modi worked as an organiser, first for the RSS and then for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He did not hold elected office in this period.
| Year | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Became a full-time RSS pracharak (worker) after the India-Pakistan war | Wikipedia biography |
| June 1975 | During the Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi, helped organise opposition in Gujarat and went underground after the RSS was banned | Wikipedia biography |
| 1978 and 1983 | BA through Delhi University's School of Open Learning (1978) and MA in political science from Gujarat University (1983). Opponents have questioned the degree records; the official profile lists the MA | PM profile; Wikipedia biography |
| 1985 | The RSS assigned him to work in the BJP | Wikipedia biography |
| 1987 | Organising secretary of the BJP's Gujarat unit | Wikipedia biography |
| November 1995 | Appointed BJP national secretary | Wikipedia biography |
| 1998 | Became BJP general secretary (organisation) | Wikipedia biography |
Chief Minister of Gujarat, 2001 to 2014
On 3 October 2001 the BJP chose Modi to replace Keshubhai Patel as Chief Minister of Gujarat. He was sworn in on 7 October 2001. The official PM profile calls him the longest-serving Chief Minister of Gujarat, with a term from October 2001 to May 2014.
- 24 February 2002: Won a by-election from Rajkot II and entered the state assembly.
- 27 February 2002: A train coach caught fire near Godhra, killing about 60 people. Large-scale riots followed across the state. The state government gave a death toll of 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus. Independent estimates put the number above 2,000, most of them Muslims.
- December 2002: The BJP won 127 of 182 seats in the Gujarat assembly election. Modi was sworn in for a second term on 22 December 2002.
- 2005: The United States denied him a visa, citing the 2002 riots.
- 2007 and 2012: The BJP won the Gujarat elections again, with 122 and then 115 of 182 seats.
- September 2013: The BJP named him its candidate for Prime Minister.
The 2002 riots and the court outcome
The 2002 violence is the most contested part of Modi's record, and critics still hold him responsible for the state's response. The legal question of his personal role went through several stages. The Supreme Court appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Its closure report, filed in 2012, found no case to prosecute Modi. A magistrate accepted it, and the Gujarat High Court upheld that on 5 October 2017.
Zakia Jafri, whose husband, former MP Ehsan Jafri, was killed at Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad on 28 February 2002, appealed. On 24 June 2022 a three-judge Supreme Court bench led by Justice A. M. Khanwilkar dismissed her appeal as "devoid of merit", as reported by The Tribune. The court upheld the SIT's clean chit to Modi and 63 others. That is the final legal outcome on his personal role. Separate trials of people accused of the killings are a different matter and are not covered here.
Prime Minister, first term: 2014 to 2019
Modi won the Varanasi seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, and the BJP won 282 seats, a majority on its own. He was sworn in as Prime Minister on 26 May 2014. The official profile notes that he is the first Prime Minister born after Independence.
| Date | Decision or event | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| 26 May 2014 | Sworn in as Prime Minister | First term begins |
| 2 October 2014 | Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission launched | National sanitation campaign |
| 8 November 2016 | Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes withdrawn | Announced in a televised address on the evening of 8 November; the notes stopped being legal tender from midnight, according to the PMO's release |
| 1 July 2017 | Goods and Services Tax (GST) begins | Launched at a midnight session in Parliament's Central Hall |
| February 2019 | Air strikes at Balakot in Pakistan | Carried out after the Pulwama attack on security forces |
Each of these decisions has supporters and critics. Demonetisation in particular drew sharp debate over its costs and results. This page records only the dates and the government's stated aims, not a verdict.
Second term: 2019 to 2024
- 30 May 2019: Sworn in for a second term by President Ram Nath Kovind. WION reported that the BJP won 303 seats and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) 354.
- 5 August 2019: The government moved to end the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370. A PIB release records that the former state was reorganised into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, on 31 October 2019.
- 2019: Parliament passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill. According to PRS Legislative Research, the Lok Sabha passed it on 5 August 2019 and the Rajya Sabha on 26 November 2019. This law matters for the Patna proposal, as explained below.
- March 2020: A nationwide lockdown was announced to slow the spread of COVID-19.
- 22 January 2024: Modi took part in the pran pratishtha (consecration) ceremony at the new Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya, as announced on the PM's website.
Third term: 2024 onwards
Results of the 2024 Lok Sabha election were declared on 4 June 2024. The BJP won 240 seats, short of the 272 needed for a majority on its own. The NDA alliance won 293 seats. It was the first time in Modi's years as Prime Minister that the BJP needed allies for a majority.
On Sunday, 9 June 2024, President Droupadi Murmu swore Modi in as Prime Minister for a third consecutive term at Rashtrapati Bhavan. DT Next reported that he became the second Prime Minister, after Jawaharlal Nehru, to win three consecutive terms. The official PM profile confirms the 9 June 2024 date. On 17 September 2025 he turned 75. Our page on public memorials to leaders in India looks at how such milestones are marked.
Quick reference: the key dates
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 17 September 1950 | Born in Vadnagar |
| 1971 | Full-time RSS pracharak |
| 1985 | Assigned to the BJP |
| 7 October 2001 | Sworn in as Chief Minister of Gujarat |
| 26 May 2014 | Sworn in as Prime Minister (first term) |
| 30 May 2019 | Second term |
| 24 June 2022 | Supreme Court upholds SIT clean chit over 2002 riots |
| 9 June 2024 | Third term, leading a coalition |
How this life story features in the Modi Mandir proposal
On 29 July 2026 the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board approved a proposal from member Rajan Singh to build a temple for Modi in Patna, according to PTI as carried by ThePrint. Singh's stated reason was about Modi's record as Prime Minister, not his early life. PTI quotes Singh: "I proposed to build a temple for Narendra Modi because he gave us respect and rights." Our report on the board's approval covers the meeting.
The "rights" Singh refers to are linked mainly to the 2019 Transgender Persons Act, passed in Modi's first term. A few dated facts help put that claim in context:
- The Supreme Court's NALSA judgment, which recognised transgender people as a "third gender", was delivered on 15 April 2014. That was before Modi became Prime Minister.
- The 2019 Act was passed under his government. Our page on the 2019 Act explains what it does and what critics said.
- A 2026 amendment, which critics say weakens the right to self-identify, has been challenged in court. See our page on what the 2026 amendment changed.
So the temple idea draws on one part of Modi's record. Community views on that record are mixed. Our explainer on why some in the community want a temple sets out the different positions. It is also worth remembering Modi's own reaction to an earlier temple. In February 2015, after he expressed displeasure, followers near Rajkot first planned to replace his idol and then demolished the structure, as The Tribune reported. The full story is on our Rajkot temple page. We found no statement from Modi on the Patna proposal.
What about the Modi Chalisa?
On 20 August 2026 Singh led a reading of a "Modi Chalisa" before a cutout of Modi at the Press Club of India in Delhi. A chalisa is a forty-verse devotional poem. The club said it had not organised the event and stopped it, according to The Federal. At the event Singh said Modi's government had secured rights and jobs for transgender people.
We have not seen the full text of the chalisa, and no report we found prints its verses. So we cannot say which events from his life, if any, the poem describes. Reports describe only the banner, the chants and the cutout. Our page on what happened at the Press Club has the details.
Common questions
When and where was Narendra Modi born?
On 17 September 1950 in Vadnagar, Mehsana district, in what is now Gujarat. The official PM profile gives the date.
Did Modi really sell tea?
Modi has said he helped at his father's tea stall at Vadnagar railway station as a boy, and neighbours give the same account. It is his own story; no record from the time exists.
When did Modi become Chief Minister of Gujarat?
He was sworn in on 7 October 2001 and served until May 2014, when he became Prime Minister.
What did the Supreme Court decide about the 2002 riots?
On 24 June 2022 it dismissed Zakia Jafri's appeal and upheld the SIT's clean chit to Modi and 63 others.
How many times has Modi been sworn in as Prime Minister?
Three times: on 26 May 2014, 30 May 2019 and 9 June 2024.
Sources
- Prime Minister of India: PM's profile, official website (last updated October 2026)
- Wikipedia: Narendra Modi, for early-life, RSS and Gujarat dates
- The Tribune: SC dismisses Zakia Jafri's plea challenging SIT's clean chit, 24 June 2022
- PMO: Historic announcements on ending corruption and black money, 8 November 2016
- PMO: India ushers in GST amid historic midnight session of Parliament, July 2017
- WION: Narendra Modi takes oath as Prime Minister for second time, 30 May 2019
- PIB: Cabinet release on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019
- PRS Legislative Research: Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019
- PMO: PM to participate in the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya on 22 January, January 2024
- DT Next: Narendra Modi sworn in as PM for third consecutive term, 9 June 2024
- ThePrint (PTI): Bihar transgender board approves proposal to construct temple in Modi's name, 29 July 2026
- The Federal (PTI): Press Club of India disowns Modi worship event, 20 August 2026
For more, see the politics and reaction topic page, our timeline of the Patna proposal and our FAQs.
Last checked on 27 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us through our contact page.