Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (जवाहरलाल नेहरू, dʒəvaːhərlaːl nehruː (November 14, 1889 - May 27, 1964) was a major political leader of the Congress Party, a pivotal figure in the Indian independence movement and the Prime Minister of independent India. He was also a key figure in international politics in the post-war period (in which he was considered the leader of third world interests) and patriarch of the Nehru-Gandhi family, one of the most influential forces in Indian politics. He is popularly referred to as Panditji (Scholar) and Pandit Nehru.

The son of the wealthy Indian barrister and politician Motilal Nehru, Nehru became a leader of the left-wing of the Indian National Congress at a remarkably young age. Rising to Congress President under the mentorship of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru was a charismatic, radical leader, advocating complete independence from the British Empire, and was eventually recognised as Gandhi's political heir. A life-long liberal intellectually, Nehru was also an advocate for Fabian socialism and the public sector as the means by which long-standing challenges of economic development could be addressed.

Serving as Congress President, Nehru raised the flag of independent India in New Delhi on August 15, 1947, and served as prime minister, as would his daughter Indira and grandson Rajiv. His long tenure was instrumental in shaping the traditions and structures of independent India.