Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (;
Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was a key 20th century stateswoman, a central figure of the
Indian National Congress party, and so far the only female
Prime Minister of India. Indira Gandhi was the only child of India's first Prime Minister,
Jawaharlal Nehru. She served as Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977 and then again from 1980 until
her assassination in 1984, making her the second-longest-serving Prime Minister after her father. Gandhi served as her father's personal assistant and hostess during his tenure as prime minister between 1947 and 1964. She was elected
Congress President in 1959. Upon her father's death in 1964, Gandhi refused to enter Congress party leadership contest and instead chose to become a cabinet minister in the government led by
Lal Bahadur Shastri. In Congress' party parliamentary leadership election held in early 1966 upon the death of
Shastri, she defeated her rival,
Morarji Desai, to become leader and thus succeed Shastri as the prime minister of India.