Sonia Gandhi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sonia Gandhi
Gandhi in 2014
Parliamentary Chair of the Indian National Congress
Incumbent
Assumed office October 1999
Preceded by	Sharad Pawar
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 April 2024 (2024-04-03)
Preceded by	Manmohan Singh
Constituency	Rajasthan
President of the Indian National Congress
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
Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance
In office 6 May 2004 (2004-05-06) – 18 July 2023 (2023-07-18)
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
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	Sonia Maino (1946-12-09) 9 December 1946 (age 78) Lusiana, Italy
Citizenship	Italy (until 1983) India (from 1983)
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse	Rajiv Gandhi ​ ​ (m. 1968; died 1991)​
Children	Rahul Gandhi (son) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (daughter)
Relatives	See Nehru–Gandhi family
Residences	12, Tughlaq Lane, New Delhi, Delhi, India
Alma mater	Bell Educational Trust
Occupation	Politician
Signature

Sonia Gandhi is a well-known Indian politician. She was the longest-serving president of the Indian National Congress, a major political party in India. She led the party for many years, from 1998 to 2017, and then again from 2019 to 2022.

Born in a small village in Italy, Sonia Gandhi grew up in a Roman Catholic family. She moved to Cambridge, England, for language classes, where she met Rajiv Gandhi. They married in 1968, and she moved to India. She lived with her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, who was the Prime Minister at the time. Even when her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, became Prime Minister, Sonia Gandhi mostly stayed out of public life.

After her husband's death, Congress leaders asked her to lead the party, but she said no at first. She finally agreed to join politics in 1997. The next year, she became the party president. Under her leadership, the Congress party formed the government after the 2004 elections. She helped create the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), a group of political parties that won the elections again in 2009. Sonia Gandhi chose not to become Prime Minister herself after the 2004 victory. Instead, she led the ruling alliance and an important group called the National Advisory Council.

Throughout her career, Sonia Gandhi helped create and put into action important laws. These included the Right to Information and the MGNREGA, which helps people get jobs in rural areas. She has been called one of the most powerful politicians in India and one of the most powerful women in the world.

Early Life and Family

Sonia Maino was born on December 9, 1946, in Lusiana, a village in Italy. She grew up with her two sisters, Nadia and Anoushka, in a traditional Christian family. She spent her teenage years in Orbassano, a town near Turin. She went to local Catholic schools and was described as a hardworking student.

Her father, Stefano, had a small construction business. Sonia finished school at 13 and hoped to become a flight attendant. In 1964, she went to Cambridge, England, to study English. The next year, she met Rajiv Gandhi at a restaurant where she worked part-time. He was studying engineering at the University of Cambridge.

Sonia and Rajiv married in 1968 in a Hindu ceremony. After their marriage, she moved to India and lived with Rajiv's mother, Indira Gandhi, who was the Prime Minister.

The couple had two children: Rahul Gandhi (born in 1970) and Priyanka Vadra (born in 1972). Even though they were part of the famous Nehru–Gandhi family, Sonia and Rajiv tried to stay out of politics. Rajiv worked as an airline pilot, and Sonia focused on their family.

Sonia spent a lot of time with her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi. She said in an interview that Indira "showered me with all her affection and love." When Rajiv entered politics in 1982 after his younger brother's death, Sonia continued to focus on her family and avoided public attention.

Political Journey

Rajiv Gandhi's Time as Prime Minister

President Ronald Reagan, Sonia Gandhi, First Lady Nancy Reagan, and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in June 1985.

Sonia Gandhi's involvement in Indian public life began after her mother-in-law was assassinated and her husband became Prime Minister. As the Prime Minister's wife, she often hosted official guests and traveled with him on state visits.

In 1984, she supported her husband in his election campaign against his sister-in-law, Maneka Gandhi. Towards the end of Rajiv Gandhi's time in office, a controversy known as the Bofors scandal came up. Sonia Gandhi became an Indian citizen in April 1983.

Joining Politics and Leading the Congress Party

After Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991, Sonia Gandhi was asked to become the leader of the Congress party and Prime Minister. She refused, and P. V. Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister instead. Over the next few years, the Congress party faced difficulties and lost the 1996 elections. Many senior leaders left the party.

To help the party recover, Sonia Gandhi joined the Congress Party in 1997. In 1998, she became the party leader. In May 1999, some leaders questioned her right to become Prime Minister because she was born outside India. She offered to resign, but many people supported her, and the leaders who questioned her were removed from the party.

Sonia Gandhi meeting with President Bill Clinton in 2000.

She ran for elections in two areas, Bellary and Amethi, in 1999. She won both but chose to represent Amethi. She defeated a senior leader, Sushma Swaraj, in Bellary.

Leading the Opposition

In 1999, Sonia Gandhi became the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, which is the main house of India's Parliament. This means she was the main voice against the ruling government.

When the BJP-led government was in power, she held this important role. In 2000, she was re-elected as Congress President by a large number of votes. As Leader of the Opposition, she even called for a vote of no confidence against the government in 2003.

Election Success and Important Roles

Sonia Gandhi meeting with President George W. Bush in 2006.

In the 2004 general elections, Sonia Gandhi led a big campaign across India. She used the slogan Aam Aadmi (ordinary person), which was different from the ruling party's slogan. She won her election in Rae Bareli by a large number of votes. After the ruling party unexpectedly lost, many thought she would become the next Prime Minister. On May 16, she was chosen to lead a group of 15 parties that formed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

Some people protested her becoming Prime Minister because she was born outside India. However, she decided not to take the position. Instead, she suggested Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister, and the party agreed. Her supporters saw this as a selfless act.

Sonia Gandhi with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur in 2010.

On March 23, 2006, Sonia Gandhi resigned from Parliament and as chairperson of the National Advisory Council. This was due to a discussion about whether holding these positions was allowed. She was re-elected from Rae Bareli in May 2006 with even more votes.

As chairperson of the National Advisory Council and the UPA, she played a key role in making important laws like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Right to Information Act.

She spoke at the United Nations on October 2, 2007, which is Mahatma Gandhi's birthday and is now observed as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Under her leadership, the Congress-led UPA won the 2009 general elections again, with Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister. The Congress party won many seats, the most since 1991. She was re-elected to Parliament for a third time from Rae Bareli.

In 2013, Sonia Gandhi became the first person to serve as Congress President for 15 years in a row.

Later Years in Politics and Rajya Sabha

Sonia Gandhi with the King and Queen of Bhutan in 2014.

In the 2014 general election, she kept her seat in Rae Bareli. However, the Congress party and the UPA alliance had their worst election result ever, winning only a small number of seats.

In December 2017, her son, Rahul Gandhi, took over as the 49th Congress president. Sonia Gandhi returned to active politics for the Congress party's campaign in the 2018 Karnataka elections. She gave a speech at a rally, and the Congress party did well in that area. She also helped form a political alliance after the election.

After Rahul Gandhi resigned as president in May 2019, Sonia Gandhi was asked to become the interim president again in August 2019. She accepted and made changes to the party's organization in different states.

In February 2020, she spoke out about the North East Delhi riots and asked for more security forces to be deployed. In 2022, Mallikarjun Kharge was elected as the new Congress president.

In February 2024, Sonia Gandhi decided not to run in the 2024 general election due to her health and age. Instead, she filed her nomination to become a member of the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of Parliament) from Rajasthan. She was elected without opposition to the Rajya Sabha on February 20, 2024, and took her oath in April 2024.

In 2025, after an attack on Iran, Sonia Gandhi said that the Indian government's silence on the issue was not in line with India's "moral and strategic traditions." She wrote in a newspaper that the attack was "illegal" and a "violation of Iranian sovereignty."

Personal Life

Sonia Gandhi is the widow of Rajiv Gandhi, who was the elder son of Indira Gandhi. She has two children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, both of whom are members of Parliament.

In August 2011, she had successful surgery for cervical cancer in the United States. She returned to India in September after her treatment.

Her mother, Paola Maino, passed away in Italy on August 27, 2022, at about 90 years old.

Electoral History

Honours and Recognition

Sonia Gandhi was seen as one of India's most powerful politicians from 2004 to 2014. She was often listed among the most powerful people and women by magazines.

In 2013, Forbes Magazine ranked Sonia Gandhi as the 21st most powerful person in the world and the 9th most powerful woman. In 2007, the same magazine named her the third most powerful woman in the world.

Forbes magazine also ranked her as the ninth most powerful person on the planet in 2010. She was also included in Time magazine's list of the "100 most influential people" in the world in 2007 and 2008.

See also

In Spanish: Sonia Gandhi para niños

• Political families of India
• Spouse of the prime minister of India