Sonia Gandhi, the former President of Congress Party and one of the most powerful female politicians of the world was born on December 9, 1946, in Louisiana, Italy. Her original name is Edvige Antonia Albina Maino. She belongs to a simple Roman-Catholic family. Sonia Gandhi education began at a local Catholic school. Her father was a builder by occupation. Sonia Gandhi education was completed from the Cambridge University in England. She met Rajiv Gandhi there only when Rajiv was studying mechanical engineering from the same university.

Their love story nurtured and Sonia and Rajiv got married in 1968. Rajiv Gandhi followed the path of a commercial airline pilot and entered in the political arena after the death of his brother Sanjay Gandhi in 1980. After the assassination of India Gandhi, Prime Minister of India and mother of Rajiv Gandhi in 1984, Rajiv was named the Prime Minister of the nation. On the other hand, Sonia Gandhi educational continuous toward the study of art restoration and she worked on preserving the nation’s artistic treasures.

Here are some key points from Sonia Gandhi Biography which will help you understand the transformation of a simple girl to a powerful leader.

Meeting Rajiv Gandhi- The beginning of love:

Sonia Gandhi went to Cambridge at the age of 18 years only. She met Rajiv in 1965 and this meeting turned into love at first sight. The relationship continued for three years and their affair was threatened to end due to the fact that Rajiv belongs form one the most famous families in India and the parents of Sonia don’t want her to involve in a different culture. Apart from that, Sonia was also nervous about meeting Indira Gandhi who was holding the most prominent position in the largest democracy in the world. But hr fear comes to end when she became a good friend of Indira Gandhi. After her marriage with Rajiv, she took a deep interest in India cultures and blends perfectly with the socio-economic status of the Gandhi family.

Introduction to politics:

Even after the crowning of her husband Rajiv Gandhi as the Prime Minister of India, she remained distant from the political scene. After the assassination of her husband, Sonia Gandhi was invited to take over the government but she refused to join the politics that has taken away the life of her husband and her mother in law. Soniya Gandhi biography reveals that after continuous requests from the Congress party leaders, she agrees to join the party and elected as the party president over Jitendra Prasad in 1997. In May 1999, some senior Congress leaders challenge Sonia Gandhi right to become the Prime Minister of India due to her origin on foreign land. Trying to maintain the integrity of the party, she resigned from her position as the party leader. The three senior leaders of Congress party who challenged Sonia Gandhi faced a lot of criticism from the party members of Congress and left the party.
In the year 1999, she took part in Lok Sabha elections from Bellary and Amethi. Despite a limited experience in Indian politics, she won both seats. It is a notable fact that she defeated veteran BJP leader Sushma Swaraj in Bellary.

The leader of the opposition:

She was chosen as the leader of opposition in the year 1999 for the 13th Lok Sabha.
She took the office of the leader of the opposition when the BJP government was formed under the administration of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. She initiated a no-confidence motion against the NDA government in 2003. Sonia Gandhi is one of the top honest politician of India in Present time.

2004 elections:

After 10 rules of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in India, Sonia Gandhi launched a nationwide campaign in 2004 elections to regain the lost trust of Congress Party. She won with a huge margin of 20,000 votes in Rae Bareli.

The huge defeat of against Sonia Gandhi gives birth to among the senior of BJP party. NDA leader Sushma Swaraj has threatened Sonia Gandhi and protested against her foreign origin. BJP has tried everything in their power to prevent Sonia Gandhi from becoming the Prime Minister of India. Referring to Section 5 of the Indian citizenship act of 1955, BJP party claimed that Sonia Gandhi is not eligible to the Prime Minister of India. This was later dismissed by the Supreme Court of India.
After winning the 2004 elections, Sonia Gandhi recommended Manmohan Singh to hold the position of prime minister.

UPA chairperson:

Sonia Gandhi announced her resignation from Lok Sabha on 23rd March 2006. She also requested to relieve her from the duties of the chairperson of National Advisory Council. She was re-elected in May 2006 for Rae Bareli seat with over a margin of four hundred thousand votes.
She was responsible for of National Rural Rural Employment Guarantee scheme and Right to Information Act while serving as the chairperson of the National Advisory Committee.
Sonia Gandhi's education and leadership contribute to the massive victory of Congress made up in the general elections of 2009. Manmohan Singh was again elected as the Prime Minister of the nation. Congress party at secured the victory by winning 206 Lok Sabha seats. She was again elected as the Member of Parliament from Rae Bareli.

 Personal life:

Having a deeper look in the biography of Sonia Gandhi, we will find that Sonia and Rajiv head to children's Rahul and Priyanka. Sonia has treated cancer in August 2011 in New York.  She transferred her responsibilities to her son Rahul Gandhi who is now currently serving as the President of the party and runner-up for the designation of the Prime Minister of India for 2019 elections. She received numerous awards in her career and still considered as one of the most powerful women. Even after a lot of opposition from the political parties, she remained dedicated to her duties toward the nation and launched several schemes for the welfare of people and increasing transparency in the functioning of government.

Sonia Gandhi biography dictates that she had faced a lot of ups and downs in her life but she managed to strongly fulfill her duties toward the nation and her family which made her an inspiration for women all over the world.

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Arina Smith

I enjoy writing and I write quality guest posts on topics of my interest and passion. I have been doing this since my college days. My special interests are in health, fitness, food and following the latest trends in these areas. I am an editor at OnlineNewsBuzz.

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