Sonia Gandhi

Sonia Gandhi is an Indian politician and a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, representing Rajasthan. Born Antonia Edvige Albina Maino on 9 December 1946 in Lusiana, Italy, she married Rajiv Gandhi in 1968 and became an Indian citizen in 1983. Her children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are both Members of Parliament.

She was president of the Indian National Congress from 14 March 1998 to 16 December 2017, the longest tenure of any party president, and served again as interim president from 10 August 2019 to 26 October 2022. She chaired the United Progressive Alliance from 2004 to 2023 and represented Amethi and then Rae Bareli in the Lok Sabha until 2024. She was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha on 20 February 2024.

She is in the news because her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, was released on 10 November 2026. In it she recalls arriving in New Delhi on 13 January 1968 and staying with the family of the poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

Sources: Wikipedia, ThePrint (PTI)