IE100: The checklist of strongest Indians in 2026 | India Information
3 min learnUp to date: Mar 29, 2026 08:07 AM IST
The world order might have been upended, battered by one other struggle. However it’s arduous to inform this trying on the checklist of India’s strongest. For the twelfth 12 months, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah take the highest two slots in The Indian Categorical checklist, with 9 of the highest 10 the identical as in 2025.
That’s a testomony to how energy equations stay largely unchanged even forward of one other spherical of Meeting elections. The checklist additionally tells the story of the Opposition’s failure to verify the BJP, even because the latter pushes into new territory. Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee are the one two non-NDA leaders who make the highest 20. If the Congress chief’s efforts imply he has nearly saved his No. 9 slot, the Trinamool Congress chief continues to remain one step forward of the indefatigable BJP.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been a collateral — and never unwilling — beneficiary of this high-stakes political battle, vaulting to No. 20. In 2024, his counterpart was at a way more modest No. 63. The opposite new entrants within the checklist, who rank as shut, are right here by advantage of the posts they now occupy — Chief Justice Surya Kant (No. 17), and BJP chief Nitin Nabin (No. 21).
US President Donald Trump’s volatility (to place it mildly) means Commerce, Finance and Exterior Affairs Ministries need to be continually on their toes and, therefore, Piyush Goyal (No. 5 from No. 12) joins Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar within the prime 10. Not surprisingly, NSA Ajit Doval, the federal government’s eyes and ears on all issues safety, climbs too, to No. 29.
With six years plus and counting as Principal Secretary to the PM, PK Mishra continues to be one among Modi’s most trusted (the PM rushed him to Ahmedabad after the Air India aircraft crash in June 2025) aides, and surges by 46 spots to No. 32. Congress chief Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sees the identical rise, to No. 35, as she takes on a extra hands-on function within the social gathering, with Assam to be her litmus check after UP.
One particular person watching the Congress efficiency carefully could be AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisiwho is at No. 55 now, up by 34, as he climbs into the area vacated by the Opposition on minority points.
In a BJP the place energy flows from the highest, solely a uncommon social gathering CM reminiscent of Yogi Adityanath, Devendra Fadnavis and Himanta Biswa Sarma figures on the prime; Opposition leaders fill extra rungs on this depend. However the CM with the largest fall is Nitish Kumar; down 63 ranks to No. 84, after a farewell to Bihar. Nitish known as it his personal determination. Nevertheless, absolutely the Hero No. 1 of Bihar, who had a wonderful ballot victory simply months earlier, would have wished for a greater ending.
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Speaking about heroes and endings, the 2 new entrants from Bollywood within the checklist are Aditya Dhar and Arijit Singh — Dhar for saying his arrival as a dhurandhar of “patriotism” packaged slickly; Arijit for “exiting” whereas the music nonetheless sang.
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