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Sonia Gandhi officially took charge of the Congress party in 1998 and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1999. Gandhi initially declined the throne of the Congress after the assassination of her husband and former prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, but she finally agreed to enter politics to lift the sagging morale the party workers.
Gandhi appointed Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister when the Congress returned to power at the Centre in 2004. Under her leadership, the Grand Old Party has won general elections twice.
Gandhi appointed Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister when the Congress returned to power at the Centre in 2004. Under her leadership, the Grand Old Party has won general elections twice.
In 2013, Forbes placed Gandhi at number 21 in a list of the world’s most powerful people, making her the third most influential of women leaders included in the list.. The Congress chief was the driving force behind Food Security Bill to guarantee very cheap food to around 70% of India’s 1.2 billion population.
In 2006, Gandhi resigned from the Lok Sabha and the National Advisory Council, following allegations that she was violating rules by profiting from a second public post. She won a by-election later in the year to return to the Lok Sabha.
She has no official post, but as Congress boss she has the last word on big policy issues. Her role model is her mother-in-law, former prime minister Indira Gandhi, whose policies were considerably left of centre.
