UPA chairperson and Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi is one of the eminent political leaders in India. Her journey from Sonia Maino to Sonia Gandhi has been a long one.
From being a distant observer in a political household, Sonia Gandhi has now occupied the center stage in Indian politics.
Born on December 9, 1946 in Lusiana, Italy, originally named Sonia Maino
Aspired to become flight attendant
1964: Went to language school in Cambridge to study English
1965: Met Rajiv Gandhi at a Varsity Restaurant
1968: Got married to Rajiv at the age of 22, Teji Bachchan played the part of Sonia’s mother
1983: Became Indian citizen by naturalization
1984: Actively campaigned against her sister in law Maneka Gandhi
Maneka was running against Rajiv in Amethi
Became an art historian and worked with a team at the National Gallery in New Delhi
Collected and edited letters that had been sent between Indira Gandhi and Indira’s father, Jawaharlal Nehru
They were ultimately published in the late 1980s and early 1990s
Authored:
Rajiv
Conflict and Coexistence in Our Age
1991: Refused to become Prime Minister after Rajiv’s assassination
1993: Sonia was heavily cheered at her visit to Amethi
She then decided to travel throughout the country for trusts and committees
1998: Agreed to become President of the then-struggling Indian National Congress
1999: Won Lok Sabha Elections from the Bellary constituency
Served as the Leader of Opposition of the 13th Lok Sabha.
