New Delhi, March 22 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the longest-serving head of government in Indian history, surpassing a record that had stood in the name of former Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling for years.

On Sunday (22 March), PM Modi's cumulative tally of days in office, spanning his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat and subsequently as Prime Minister of India, crossed 8,931 days, edging past Chamling's mark of 8,930.

Narendra Modi assumed the office of Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 at a moment of acute crisis, the state was still reeling from a catastrophic earthquake, had endured the impact of a super cyclone, faced successive droughts, and was mired in political instability.

Reflecting on that perio...