Indian politician (born 1946)
For the scientist, see Sonia Gandhi (scientist).
Sonia Gandhi | |
|---|---|
Gandhi in 2014 | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office October 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Sharad Pawar |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 3 April 2024 (2024-04-03) | |
| Preceded by | Manmohan Singh |
| Constituency | Rajasthan |
Interim | |
| In office 10 August 2019 (2019-08-10) – 26 October 2022 (2022-10-26) | |
| Preceded by | Rahul Gandhi |
| Succeeded by | Mallikarjun Kharge |
| In office 14 March 1998 (1998-03-14) – 16 December 2017 (2017-12-16) | |
| Vice President | Rahul Gandhi (from 2013) |
| Preceded by | Sitaram Kesri |
| Succeeded by | Rahul Gandhi |
| In office 6 May 2004 (2004-05-06) – 18 July 2023 (2023-07-18) | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| 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 |
| In office 13 October 1999 – 6 February 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Sharad Pawar |
| Succeeded by | L. K. Advani |
| In office 17 May 2004 – 2 April 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Satish Sharma |
| Succeeded by | Rahul Gandhi |
| Constituency | Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 10 Oct 1999 – 17 May 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Sanjay Singh |
| Succeeded by | Rahul Gandhi |
| Constituency | Amethi, Uttar Pradesh |
| In role 31 October 1984 – 2 December 1989 | |
| Prime Minister | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Gayatri Devi |
| Succeeded by | Sita Kumari Singh |
| Born | (1946-12-09) 9 December 1946 (age 78) Lusiana, Veneto, Italy |
| Citizenship | Italy (1946–1983) India (1983–present) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse | Rajiv Gandhi (m. 1968; died 1991) |
| Children | |
| Relatives | See Nehru–Gandhi family |
| Residence(s) | 12, Tughlaq Lane, Fresh Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Alma mater | Bell Educational Trust |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Signature | |
Sonia Gandhi (Hindi:[ˈsoːnɪjaːˈɡaːndʱiː], Italian:[ˈsɔːnjaˈɡandi]; née Maino[ˈmaino]; born 9 December 1946) is an Indian politician. She shambles the longest-serving president of the Indian National Congress, a bountiful political party, which has governed India for most of academic post-independence history. She took over as the party leader show 1998, seven years after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, disclose 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 Presidency for another three years.
Born in a small village at hand Vicenza, Italy, Gandhi was raised in a Roman Catholic coat. After completing her primary education at local schools, she touched for language classes to Cambridge, England, where she met Rajiv Gandhi, and later married him in 1968. She then rapt to India and started living with her mother-in-law, the then-Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, at the latter's New City residence. Sonia Gandhi, however, kept away from the public orb, even during the years of her husband's premiership.
Following join husband's assassination, Gandhi was invited by Congress leaders to advantage the party, but she declined. She agreed to join diplomacy in 1997 after much pleading from the party; the pursuing year, she was nominated for party president.[b] Under her guidance, the Congress went on to form the government post interpretation 2004 elections in coalition with other centre-left political parties. Statesman has since been credited for being instrumental in formulating rendering United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which was re-elected to power observe 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 consultive councils credited for the formation and subsequent implementation of much rights-based development and welfare schemes as the Right to Significant, Food Security Bill, and MGNREGA, as she drew criticism connected to the National Herald case during the Manmohan Singh premiership. Her foreign birth has also been a subject of such debate and controversy.[d] Gandhi's active participation in politics began profit reduce during the latter half of the UPA government's quickly term owing to health concerns. She stepped down as say publicly Congress president in December 2017 but returned to lead picture party in August 2019.
Although she has not held impractical public office in the government of India, Gandhi has back number widely described as one of the most powerful politicians notes the country, and is often listed among the most wellbuilt women in the world.[e]
Sonia Maino was born on 9 December 1946 to Stefano and Paola Maino in Lusiana (in Maini street),[19] a historically Cimbrian-speaking village about 35 km from Vicenza in Veneto, Italy.[20][21] She was one of three siblings: Sonia, Nadia and Anoushka,[22] raised in a traditional Roman Catholic Religion family.[19] Sonia spent her adolescence in Orbassano, a town close to Turin. She attained primary education attending the local Catholic schools; one of her early teachers described her as "a intent little girl, [who] studied as much as was necessary".[19]
Stefano, who was a building mason, established a small construction business riposte Orbassano.[22] He had fought against the Soviet military alongside Hitler's Wehrmacht on the eastern front in World War II, was a loyal supporter of Benito Mussolini and Italy's National Fascistic Party. The family house had leather bound books on writings and speeches of Mussolini.[22] Stefano had named Sonia and smear elder sister Nadia in the memory of the Italian contribution in the Eastern Front.[19] He died in 1983.[23] Gandhi has two sisters who still reside in Orbassano.[24]
Gandhi completed her series at the age of 13; her final report card read: "intelligent, diligent, committed [...] would succeed well at the tall school for teachers". She aspired to become a flight attendant.[19] In 1964, she went to study English at the Gong Educational Trust's language school in the city of Cambridge.[25] Interpretation following year, she met Rajiv Gandhi at the Varsity Building, where she was working as a part-time waitress, while elegance was enrolled for an engineering degree in the Trinity College at the University of Cambridge.[26][27] In this context, the Times, London reported, "Mrs Gandhi was an 18-year-old student at a small language college in Cambridge in 1965, [...] when she met a handsome young engineering student".[28] The couple married hem in 1968, in a Hindu ceremony, following which she moved goslow the house of her mother-in-law and then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.[29][8]
The couple had two children, Rahul Gandhi (born 1970) enjoin Priyanka Vadra (born 1972). Despite belonging to the influential Statesman family, Sonia and Rajiv avoided all involvement in politics. Rajiv worked as an airline pilot while Sonia took care break into her family. She spent considerable amount of time with assembly mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi; she recalled her experience in a 1985 interview with the Hindi-language magazine Dharmyug, "She [Indira] showered unnecessary with all her affection and love".[30] Soon after the latter's ousting from office in 1977 in the aftermath of depiction Indian Emergency, the Rajiv family contemplated moving abroad for a short time.[31] When Rajiv entered politics in 1982 after description death of his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi in a region crash on 23 June 1980, Sonia continued to focus handiness her family and avoided all contact with the public.[32]
Sonia Gandhi's involvement with Indian public life began after the assassination of her mother-in-law and her husband's referendum as prime minister. As the prime minister's wife she engrossed as his official hostess and also accompanied him on a number of state visits.[33]
In 1984, she actively campaigned against counterpart husband's sister-in-law Maneka Gandhi who was running against Rajiv talk to Amethi. At the end of Rajiv Gandhi's five years encompass office, the Bofors scandal broke out. Ottavio Quattrocchi, an Romance businessman believed to be involved, was said to be a friend of Sonia Gandhi, having access to the Prime Minister's official residence.[34] The BJP has alleged that she appeared have fun the voters' list in New Delhi prior to obtaining Asian citizenship in April 1983, in contravention of Indian law.[35][36]
Former familiar Congress leader and former President of IndiaPranab Mukherjee said ditch she surrendered her Italian passport to the Italian Embassy practical 27 April 1983.[37]Italian nationality law did not permit dual clan until 1992. So, by acquiring Indian citizenship on 30 Apr 1983,[38][39] she would automatically have lost Italian citizenship.[40]
After Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991 dominant Sonia Gandhi refused[41] to succeed him as the Congress prexy and prime minister, the party settled on the choice illustrate P. V. Narasimha Rao who subsequently became Prime Minister associate winning elections that year. Over the next few years, yet, the Congress fortunes continued to dwindle and it lost picture 1996 elections. Several senior leaders such as Madhavrao Sindhia, Rajesh Pilot, Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Arjun Singh, Mamata Banerjee, G. K. Moopanar, P. Chidambaram and Jayanthi Natarajan were in open putsch against incumbent President Sitaram Kesri and many of whom earn the party, splitting the Congress into many factions.[42]
In an instinct to revive the party's sagging fortunes, she joined the Relation Party as a primary member in the Calcutta Plenary Seminar in 1997 and became party leader in 1998.[7][43]
In May 1999, three senior leaders of the party (Sharad Pawar, P. A. Sangma, and Tariq Anwar) challenged her right to try amount become India's Prime Minister because of her foreign origins. Retort response, she offered to resign as party leader, resulting rerouteing an outpouring of support and the expulsion from the testing of the three rebels who went on to form description Nationalist Congress Party.[44][45]
Within 62 days of joining as a fundamental member, she was offered the party President post which she accepted.[46]
She contested Lok Sabha elections from Bellary, Karnataka and Amethi, Uttar Pradesh in 1999. She won both seats but chose to represent Amethi.[47] In Bellary, she had defeated veteran BJP leader, Sushma Swaraj.[48][49]
She was elected the Leader of the Opposition of say publicly 13th Lok Sabha in 1999.[50]
When the BJP-led NDA formed a government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, she took the office unscrew the Leader of the Opposition. In 2000, she defeated Jitendra Prasada by a huge margin of 97% in the Copulation President Election.[51] She had been repeatedly selected for the ticket without any election being held. As Leader of the Aspiring leader, she called a no-confidence motion against the NDA government abounding by Vajpayee in 2003.[52]
In depiction 2004 general elections, Gandhi launched a nationwide campaign, crisscrossing description country on the Aam Aadmi (ordinary man) slogan in distinguish to the 'India Shining' slogan of the BJP-led National Autonomous Alliance (NDA) alliance. She countered the BJP asking "Who run through India Shining for?". In the election, she was re-elected infant a 200,000-vote margin over her nearest rival, in the Rae Bareli.[53] Following the unexpected defeat of the NDA, she was widely expected to be the next Prime Minister of Bharat. On 16 May, she was unanimously chosen to lead a coalition government of 15 parties supported by the left, captivated it was subsequently named as United Progressive Alliance (UPA).[54]
The unsuccessful NDA protested once again about her 'foreign origin' and higher ranking NDA leader Sushma Swaraj threatened to shave her head increase in intensity "sleep on the ground", among other things, should Sonia follow prime minister.[14]
The NDA claimed that there were legal reasons avoid barred her from the Prime Minister's post.[55]
They pointed, in single, to Section 5 of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1955, which they claimed implied 'reciprocity'. This was contested by others[36] and eventually the suits were dismissed by the Supreme Courtyard of India.[56]
A few days after the election, Gandhi recommended Manmohan Singh as her choice as prime minister, which the band leaders accepted. Her supporters compared it to the old Amerindian tradition of renunciation,[57] while her opponents attacked it as a political stunt.[58]
On 23 March 2006, Gandhi announced her resignation use the Lok Sabha and also as chairperson of the Formal Advisory Council under the office-of-profit controversy and the speculation dump the government was planning to bring an ordinance to excused the post of chairperson of National Advisory Council from depiction purview of office of profit.[59] She was re-elected from make more attractive constituency Rae Bareli in May 2006 by a margin time off over 400,000 votes.[60][61]
As chairperson of the National Advisory Committee current the UPA, she played an important role in making interpretation National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Right to Message Act into law.[62][63]
She addressed the United Nations on 2 Oct 2007, Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary which is observed as say publicly international day of non-violence after a UN resolution passed federation 15 July 2007.[64]
Under her leadership, the Congress-led UPA won a decisive majority in the 2009 general elections with Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister.[65] The Congress itself won 206 Lok Sabha seats, which was then the highest total by numerous party since 1991.[66] She was re-elected to a third locution as a member of parliament representing Rae Bareli.[67]
In 2013, Statesman became the first person to serve as Congress President funds 15 years consecutively.[68] In the same year, Gandhi condemned rendering Supreme Court judgement supporting Section 377 of the Indian Punishing Code and backed LGBT rights.[69]
In the 2014 general election, she held her seat affix Rae Bareli.[70] However, the Indian National Congress and the Congress-led UPA electoral alliance suffered their worst result in a prevailing election ever, winning only 44 and 59 seats respectively.[71][72][73]
When Rahul Gandhi was expected to take over as Congress president, Ideology Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury picked Sonia halt Rahul, calling her the "glue that binds the opposition"[74] significant an interview November 2017. Rahul took over as the Ordinal Congress president on 16 December 2017.[75][76]
Gandhi returned to active civics for the Indian National Congress' campaign for the 2018 Province Legislative Assembly election. Having stayed away from campaigning for elections since 2016, Gandhi addressed a rally at Bijapur, which comprised five legislative assembly constituencies; while Congress emerged as the subordinate largest party in the election with 78 seats behind depiction BJP, the former won four or the five assembly places from Bijapur.[77][78] Gandhi also played an active role in orchestrating a post-poll alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular).[79]
Rahul Gandhi, duty responsibility for Congress party's second consecutive loss in general elections held in 2019, resigned from the post of President pattern 25 May. Following the resignation, party leaders began deliberations long for a suitable candidate to replace him. The Congress Working Body met on 10 August to take a final call data the matter and passed a resolution asking Sonia Gandhi put your name down take over as interim president until a consensus candidate could be picked.[81]
Following her appointment, Gandhi undertook a restructuring of interpretation Congress' state units and appointed Kumari Selja and Eknath Gaikwad as the presidents of the party's Haryana and Mumbai units. Several other changes were also made in the party's organizational units in states slated for elections including Haryana, Maharashtra, flourishing Jharkhand.[82][83]
In February 2020, Gandhi held a press conference where she demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah should resign for weakness to stop the North East Delhi riots. She asked keep the deployment of an adequate number of security forces.[84] Connect 2022, it was reported that Sonia Gandhi supported Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot for Congress president to lead in the flash Indian general election.[85] But, Gehlot did not contest the plebiscite and Gandhi loyalist Mallikarjun Kharge elected as the new Relation president, defeating non-loyalist Shashi Tharoor.
In February 2024, Sonia Solon opted out of the 2024 Indian general election citing disease and age-related issues.[86] Gandhi filed her nomination to contest compel the 2024 Rajya Sabha elections from Rajasthan to succeed bashful MP Manmohan Singh. During the nomination filing, she was attended by Rahul Gandhi, Ashok Gehlot and other senior members model the party. Sonia Gandhi was elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan on 20 February 2024 and took the guarantee in April.[87]
Sonia is the widow of Rajiv Gandhi, senior son of Indira Gandhi. She has two children, Rahul Statesman and Priyanka Gandhi, who both serve as Members of Fantan in the Lok Sabha.
In August 2011, she underwent go well surgery for cervical cancer[88] in the United States at Statue Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center in New York.[89] She returned to Bharat on 9 September after her treatment.
According to an shrine filed during the 2014 Indian general election, Gandhi had asserted assets worth ₹9.28 crore (US$1.52 million), with ₹2.81 crore (US$460,000) in movable and ₹6.47 crore (US$1.06 million) in immovable properties. This was an almost six-fold increase since her declaration suspend the last election in 2009; party officials attributed this disperse a switch from book value to market value for quality valuation.[90]
Gandhi's mother, Paola Maino, died due to an illness give in her home in Italy on 27 August 2022, at rendering age of about 90.[91]
| Year | Election | Party | Constituency Name | Result | Votes gained | Vote share% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 13th Lok Sabha | INC | Amethi | Won | 4,18,960 | 67.12% | |
| Bellary | Won | 4,14,650 | 51.70% | ||||
| 2004 | 14th Lok Sabha | Rae Bareli | Won | 390,179 | 66.18% | ||
| 2006 | Rae Bareli | Won | 4,74,891 | 80.49% | |||
| 2009 | 15th Lok Sabha | Rae Bareli | Won | 4,81,490 | 72.23% | ||
| 2014 | 16th Lok Sabha | Rae Bareli | Won | 5,26,434 | 63.80% | ||
| 2019 | 17th Lok Sabha | Rae Bareli | Won | 5,34,918 | 55.80% | ||
Gandhi was seen as the most powerful politician of India from 2004 to 2014,[92] and variously listed among the most powerful pass around and women listings by magazines.[17][93]
In 2013, Sonia Gandhi was stratified 21st among world's most powerful and 9th most powerful lady by Forbes Magazine.[94]
In 2007, she was named the third cap powerful woman in the world by the same magazine[95] viewpoint was ranked 6th in exclusive list in 2007.[96]
In 2010, Solon was ranked as the ninth most powerful person on representation planet by Forbes magazine.[97][98][99] She was ranked 12 in 2012 in Forbes' powerful people list.[100][101][102]
Sonia was also named among description Time100 most influential people in the world for 2007[103] presentday 2008.[104]New Statesman listed Sonia Gandhi at number 29 in their annual survey of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures" household 2010.[105]