Sonia Gandhi

Sonia Gandhi Biography

Sonia Gandhi is one of the important politicians and President of Indian National Congress. She was born in Italy on 9^th December 1946 and is the wife of late Prime Minister of India Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. Her birth name was Edvige Antonia Albina Maino.

She was born in Lusiana in Italy and her parents are Stefano and Paola Maino. She belong to a Roman Catholic family and her father is a building contractor. She has two sisters. She went to study English at Bell Educational Trust school in Cambridge city, England in the year 1964 where she met Rajiv Gandhi. She met him when she was working at a restaurant as a waitress as a part time job. They got married in the year 1968 and then she moved to India. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra are her two children.

Though she belongs to Nehru family, she did not like to take part in politics. Rajiv started his career as an airline pilot and she was initially a house wife. Rajiv entered politics in 1982 after the death of his brother. When Rajiv became Prime Minister of India after the death of Indira Gandhi, she accompanied him to various places as a wife of Prime Minister. She got Indian Citizenship in April 1983.

After Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated she was asked to become the Prime Minister. But she refused and made Narasimha Rao to get that seat. Until now she has never been the king, but the king maker. She reluctantly agreed to join active politics in 1997. She is in the position of President of Indian National Congress for 10 long years, longest serving president in the history of Congress party.

Her foreign birth led to a number of debates and controversies. She is the chair person of National Advisory Committee and UPA and she has an important role in National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Right to Information Act. She is selected as the third most powerful women in the world by Forbes magazine in 2004. She received Honorary Doctorate degree from University of Madras and Brussels University. 

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Updated: October 12, 2012