Sonia Gandhi | |
|---|---|
 Gandhi in 2014 | |
| Parliamentary Chair of the Indian National Congress | |
| Assumed office October 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Sharad Pawar |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| Assumed office 3 April 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Manmohan Singh |
| Constituency | Rajasthan |
| President of the Indian National Congress | |
Interim | |
| In office 10 August 2019 – 26 October 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Rahul Gandhi |
| Succeeded by | Mallikarjun Kharge |
| In office 14 March 1998 – 16 December 2017 | |
| Vice President | Rahul Gandhi (from 2013) |
| Preceded by | Sitaram Kesri |
| Succeeded by | Rahul Gandhi |
| Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance | |
| In office 6 May 2004 – 18 July 2023 | |
| Preceded by | office established |
| Succeeded by | office abolished |
| Chairperson of the National Advisory Council | |
| In office 29 March 2010 – 25 May 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | office established |
| Succeeded by | office abolished |
| In office 4 June 2004 – 23 March 2006 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | office established |
| Succeeded by | office abolished |
| 10th Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha | |
| In office 13 October 1999 – 6 February 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Sharad Pawar |
| Succeeded by | L. K. Advani |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 17 May 2004 – 2 April 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Satish Sharma |
| Succeeded by | Rahul Gandhi |
| Constituency | Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 10 October 1999 – 17 May 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Sanjay Singh |
| Succeeded by | Rahul Gandhi |
| Constituency | Amethi, Uttar Pradesh |
| Spouse of the Prime Minister of India | |
| In role 31 October 1984 – 2 December 1989 | |
| Prime Minister | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Gayatri Devi |
| Succeeded by | Sita Kumari Singh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 December 1946 Lusiana, Veneto, Italy |
| Citizenship | Italy (1946–1983) India (1983–present) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
|
| Relatives | See Nehru–Gandhi family |
| Residence(s) | 12, Tughlaq Lane, New Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Alma mater | Bell Educational Trust |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Signature |  |
Sonia Gandhi (Hindi: [ˈsoːnɪjaː ˈɡaːndʱiː], Italian: [ˈsɔːnja ˈɡandi]; née Maino [ˈmaino]; born 9 December 1946) is an Indian politician. She is the longest-serving president of the Indian National Congress, a social democratic political party, which has governed India for most of its post-independence history. She took over as the party leader in 1998, seven years after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, her husband and a former Prime Minister of India, and remained in office until 2017 after serving for twenty-two years.[a] She returned to the post in 2019 and remained the President for another three years.
Born in a small village near Vicenza, Italy, Gandhi was raised in a Roman Catholic family. After completing her primary education at local schools, she moved for language classes to Cambridge, England, where she met Rajiv Gandhi, and later married him in 1968. She then moved to India and started living with her mother-in-law, the then-Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, at the latter's New Delhi residence. Sonia Gandhi, however, kept away from the public sphere, even during the years of her husband's premiership.
Following her husband's assassination, Gandhi was invited by Congress leaders to lead the party, but she declined. She agreed to join politics in 1997 after much pleading from the party; the following year, she was nominated for party president.[b] Under her leadership, the Congress went on to form the government post the 2004 elections in coalition with other centre-left political parties. Gandhi has since been credited for being instrumental in formulating the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which was re-elected to power in 2009. Gandhi declined the premiership following the 2004 victory; she instead led the ruling alliance and the National Advisory Council.[c]
Over the course of her career, Gandhi presided over the advisory councils credited for the formation and subsequent implementation of such rights-based development and welfare schemes as the Right to Information, Food Security Bill, and MGNREGA, as she drew criticism related to the National Herald case. Her foreign birth has also been a subject of much debate and controversy.[d] Gandhi's active participation in politics began to reduce during the latter half of the UPA government's second term owing to health concerns. She stepped down as the Congress president in December 2017 but returned to lead the party in August 2019. Although she has not held any public office in the government of India, Gandhi has been widely described as one of the most powerful politicians in the country, and is often listed among the most powerful women in the world.[e]
- ^ "Sonia Gandhi retires as Congress president, to remain active in politics". The Indian Express. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ Chowdhary, Neerja (16 December 2017). "As Sonia Gandhi makes way". The Indian Express. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ Naqshbandi, Aurangzeb (16 December 2017). "Sonia Gandhi's 19 years as Congress president: From husband Rajiv's death to son Rahul's elevation". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ Chandra, Rina (14 April 2009). "Sonia Gandhi keeps Congress hopes alive in India polls". Reuters. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ Weinraub, Bernard (24 May 1991). "Assassination In India; Sonia Gandhi Declines Invitation To Assume Husband's Party Post". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "Sonia Gandhi re-elected Congress President". Outlook. 25 March 2005. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ "Sonia Gandhi Biography". Elections in India. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Profile: Sonia Gandhi". BBC News. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ "Fourth time in a row, Sonia Gandhi is Congress chief". The Times of India. 4 September 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ Robinson, Simon. "India's Most Influential". Time. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "Sonia: and yet so far". The Economist. 20 May 2004. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ Roy, Aruna (15 December 2017). "Movements and governments". The Indian Express. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ "End of the longest regency". Outlook. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
autogenerated1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Ramaseshan, Radhika (30 August 2002). "BJP sees Gujarat ammo in Sonia origins". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. Archived from the original on 3 September 2002. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
- ^ Manoj, CL (13 October 2017). "The Sonia Gandhi years and what Rahul Gandhi can learn". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ Riedel, Bruce (24 June 2012). "Sonia Gandhi Health Mystery Sets India Leadership Adrift". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ Richard Sandbrook; Ali Burak Güven (1 June 2014). Civilizing Globalization, Revised and Expanded Edition: A Survival Guide. SUNY Press. pp. 77–. ISBN 978-1-4384-5209-8.
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