Sonia Gandhi is the longest-serving president of the Congress party, which has governed India during most of its post-Independence decades. She was born in Italy, and educated at Cambridge University, where she met Rajiv Gandhi, who was then the son of prime minister Indira Gandhi. The two married in 1968.
After Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991, during campaigning for that year’s general elections, Sonia Gandhi initially stayed away from politics, but in 1998, she was chosen as the president of the Congress party. Under her leadership, in 2004, a Congress-led coalition came to power at the Centre. She famously declined to be prime minister — her foreign birth had become a politically controversial issue — and instead chose the economist Manmohan Singh. She was then named the chairperson of the coalition, which was called the United Progressive Alliance or the UPA.
Sonia Gandhi won her first Lok Sabha election in 1999, representing Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, a family stronghold. From 2004, she has represented Rae Bareli as an MP in the Lok Sabha. In 2024, she announced she was contesting elections from the Rajya Sabha, the indirectly elected house of Parliament, signalling her stepping back from electoral politics.
A 130 years old party needs “Lessons’ ! Obviously, this party has NO ability whatsoever to learn. It is too arrogant and its top “Family”members too puffed up with some fanciful illusions of past glory to come down to earth. But the”Voter” has made them bite the dust. They deserve to remain where they are.
This article did not age well. The ‘chanakya’ lost and the sloths won. But I would say it was definitely a thriller.
This whole exercise of bjp is only to expose the NCP,Shivsena and not to have a government.there will be fresh elections with bjp getting a simple majority
This is a wretched article ,just like Indian politics, the happenings of Maharashtra politics will put to shame professional pimps. Half decent folks would consign these events to the bin lest they bring disrepute ,or hang their heads in shame if the most tenous of connection were to be made to these events
Why applaud Amit Shah. The greed for power should be exposed, it is not honourable but brinkmanship as going against the very word given by Modi, Na Kaaoonga Na kaane doonga. Jumla is another word to describe these useless politicians taking voters for a ride using every office be it Governor or President to bring disrepute to office. Ideology of BJP was Hindutva and giving a corrupt free india but shame even a person like Ajit Pawar is being whitewashed by Amit Shah and Modi to retain their power on the richest state in this country.
What Thakare and Siv Sena doing to people is also gooda giri and extortion.
Congress is also power hungry and what they did in Karnataka is all too see.
No one expects Sena, NCP and Congress to rule more than year as most of their MLA are money and power hungry.
BJP cadre has some discipline.
Congress lost voting block of Muslims and Dalits or cast politics too. Is Triple Talaq and Nikah halala good for Muslim women?
All goonda giri will end. Soon in India. Just you wait and watch.
Agreed that the Congress lacks speed and decisiveness. But, I don’t think speed would have made a difference in this case. The BJP was waiting to pounce the minute they realized the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congresss combine was actually going to form the government.
For all his cunning, it looks like Amit ‘Chanakya’ Shah made a mistake out of desperation! First, it doesn’t look like they’ll win it.
And even if they do, the second mistake will take some undoing, because he’s stripped away that all important BJP fig leaf – PM Modi’s innocence, or shall we say, his ‘clean \ sahi’ credentials. The party has always argued that ‘Sant’ Modi is beyond reproach, utterly blameless and pure! The man himself has said he’s ‘above’ elections.
But look what happened! Modi made a person the BJP themselves accused of massive corruption as the Deputy Chief Minister. So, either they filed a false case against him, or they don’t mind corruption at all! This is what makes the Maharashtra scenario different to all other recent ‘hung’ Assembly dramas.
People are not fools, and slowly but surely they can see that they are being treated as such! The PM’s image is starting to unravel and it could give the BJP very little to cover their misdeeds and misgovernance, come 2024.
Congress lacks decision making only one family (gai bachda old symbal) keep on gazing esch other out of affection and in the meantime the train leaves station.
Thank you for shedding the light over the matters the congress should have had adapted to ages ago (being old shouldn’t make one slow and crippled ) it shall actually make them wiser and if they cant do this after being in rule for so many years what is left to hope for
I wish congress are following your feeds they can actually learn something from here !
Don’t worry jihadin nothing will happen, people understand congis are their enemy.
While the Opposition deserves all the rose petals the column showers on it, the incumbent is also duty bound to observe constitutional morality. Find it difficult to endorse the encomiums some senior journalists are will to confer on commerce in legislators.
It will not happen till the Gandhi family is in charge.
The author of this article seems to be an admirer of corruption.
Buying and selling legislators is an evil subversion of democracy.
If the author does not understand that she is a dishonest person not fit to write in the Print.
She is so enamoured by the wicked machinations of a Amit Shah that she seems to support the theft of my entitlement and the entitlement of every citizen of India – for their right to have a government as envisioned by our constitution.
Zainab Sikendar you are a thief yourself for eulogising Amit Shah and corruption in your dishonest opinionated garbage of an article.
I EXPECTED BETTER FROM A MINORITY JOURNALIST IN A HINDUTVA INDIA
INTEGRITY AND CREDIBILITY ULTIMATELY IS THE ONLY VALUABLE CHARACTERISTIC A JOURNALIST HAS
Are you Indian or afgani first decide that, minority journalist? She is not journalist but jihadi supporter, rest for being minority ? . This is India for Indian religions not desert Arabia!! as per Constitution we don’t have minority drama.
Read the indian constitution India is secular
Concur Ms Sikander the author of this piece, never outright calls out the dishonesty of the whole matter, but discusses around it sicko infinitum. She normalises abnormal behaviour of these rascals.
It’s time Jurnos take a stand, call a spade a spade. At the outset explain right from wrong.
She has not said what Amit Shah did is correct. She has highlighted what is lacking in the main (?!) opposition party and the coterie it is said to lead against the’ un-democratic ‘ BJP. If the Opposition doesnt wake up, their days are numbered ! Good write up, Madam !
Why Sonia visited Imam Bukhara just before 2014 election and Kamal Natu recently threatened Muslims to vote for congress? Is it allowed by EC of India to ask vote on religion or cast basis?