Sonia Gandhi is the leader of the Congress Party in India.

Sonia Gandhi is the leader of the Congress Party in India.

Although Sonia could have become the first foreign-born Indian Prime Minister, she declined the opportunity.

In the May 2005 Parliamentary Elections to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, Sonia led the Congress Party to victory over the ruling BJP.

Sonia's victory was aided by anti-incumbency sentiments as well as the large-scale disenchantment of millions of people belonging to the lower classes, who have been mostly left behind in the economic reforms exercise of the BJP.

Sonia's rapid rise in the political arena highlights two interesting aspects of Indian politics - In a country, where Hindus account for a majority of the population, Indian voters have not hesitated to embrace a Roman Catholic Videshi (Hindi word for foreigner).

Sonia's quick rise to the top of the Congress party illustrates the weakness of the Congress party and indeed the Indian political system. As political scientists like Samuel Huntington have written, in mature political systems the path to the top often takes decades during which time the leader gains experience in lesser positions and learns the art of governance in the process.

Sonia has so far had very limited experience in the rough and tumble of politics and almost no experience in the art of governance. This raises questions of how effective Sonia can be as head of the ruling party of a complex nation like India with its myriad castes and religions and multitude of problems.

If Sonia had become Prime Minister, she would have been the fourth member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to become Prime Minister of India following in the footsteps of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Leader of the Congress Party, India

Sonia Gandhi is the leader of the Congress Party in India. Although Sonia could have become the first foreign-born Indian Prime Minister, she declined the opportunity. In the May 2005 Parliamentary Elections to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, Sonia led the Congress Party to victory over the ruling BJP. Sonia's victory was aided by anti-incumbency sentiments as well as the large-scale disenchantment of millions of people belonging to the lower classes, who have been mostly left behind in the economic reforms exercise of the BJP. Sonia's rapid rise in the political arena highlights two interesting aspects of Indian politics - In a country, where Hindus account for a majority of the population, Indian voters have not hesitated to embrace a Roman Catholic Videshi (Hindi word for foreigner). Sonia's quick rise to the top of the Congress party illustrates the weakness of the Congress party and indeed the Indian political system. As political scientists like Samuel Huntington have written, in mature political systems the path to the top often takes decades during which time the leader gains experience in lesser positions and learns the art of governance in the process. Sonia has so far had very limited experience in the rough and tumble of politics and almost no experience in the art of governance. This raises questions of how effective Sonia can be as head of the ruling party of a complex nation like India with its myriad castes and religions and multitude of problems. If Sonia had become Prime Minister, she would have been the fourth member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to become Prime Minister of India following in the footsteps of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Early Years Sonia Gandhi nee Maino was born on December 9, 1946 in Orbassano, near Turin in Italy. Her father Stefano Maino was a building contractor. Sonia's mother's name is Paola Maino. Sonia's father died in 1983. Her mother and two sisters still live in Orbassano, Italy. Sonia is a Roman Catholic. During her childhood days, Sonia attended a Roman Catholic school run by the Salesian Order. Sonia met Rajiv Gandhi in 1965 in England, where both were studying. Rajiv, son of late prime minister Indira Gandhi and grandson of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, was studying engineering. Sony was studying for a Diploma in English. The two fell in love and were married in December 1968. The marriage took place in Delhi. By all accounts, it was a happy marriage. Indira Gandhi Sonia's mother-in-law Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister of India at the time of Sonia's marriage to Rajiv. Indira Gandhi was a formidable woman and politician, who had even senior members of her party quaking in fear. India's political institutions came under considerable pressure during Indira's rule. The nadir of her rule was the declaration of a state of emergency in 1975 that curtailed the rights of citizens. Disenhanted voters responded by inflicting a crushing defeat in the 1977 elections. However, serious infighting in the Janata party provided Indira an opportunity to return to power in 1980. Initially, Sonia may have been terrified about meeting Indira. According to an account by Jay Adams and Philip Whitehead, Rajiv had arranged a meeting between Sonia and Indira, who was on a visit to London. "Sonia was so terrified at the prospect of meeting the formidable Mrs Gandhi that she panicked on the drive to London and Rajiv had to cancel the engagement," write Adams and Whitehead in The Dynasty - The Nehru-Gandhi Story. Indira and Sonia seem to have been attached to each other. In his biography of Indira, Inder Malhotra writes that Sonia and Indira "became extremely fond of each other....Indeed, Indira delegated to Sonia much of the responsibility for running the household." It's possible that Indira's fondness for Sonia may have increased after Indira's other daughter-in-law Manekha Gandhi left the household in a fall-out with Indira after her husband Sanjay Gandhi's death. In her introduction to Freedom's Daughter, Sonia writes, "[Indira] possessed great intellect, a rational perception and an acute understanding of peoples and problems." Indira's life came to an abrupt end after she was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984 in retaliation for her policies in the North Indian state of Punjab, home to the Sikh community. When Indira was shot by her security guards, it was a weeping Sonia who took her bleeding mother-in-law to the hospital. Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia's husband and Indira Gandhi's elder son, was a pilot with the state-owned Indian Airlines. Unlike his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi, who had entered the hurly-burly world of politics and was enmeshed in various scandals, Rajiv led a low-profile life. Rajiv is also described as a courteous person with fine manners. Political commentators have remarked that Rajiv's personality was so contrasting to that of his brother Sanjay. Rajiv entered the political world after his brother Sanjay Gandhi's death in 1980 in an aircrash in Delhi. Sonia is said to have been bitterly opposed to Rajiv entering the political world. Rajiv himself is believed to have been reluctant to initially respond to Indira's call. Rajiv "was reluctant to take the plunge into politics even though he realized that he could not deny his mother the help she needed and was asking for," writes Inder Malhotra Ultimately, the subtle and not-so-subtle pressure had its effect and Rajiv joined the Great Indian political circus paving the way ultimately for Sonia's entry into the political arena many years later. Although Rajiv was initially hailed as "Mr Clean" his reputation was soon tainted by a scandal surrounding the procurement of big guns from Swedish defense firm Bofors.

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