HomeNewsPhotosPoliticsA look at Sonia Gandhi's 25 years in Lok Sabha as she switches House
A look at Sonia Gandhi's 25 years in Lok Sabha as she switches House
Sonia Gandhi's political journey took off in 1999 when she was first elected as a Member of Parliament (MP). She contested from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh and Bellary in Karnataka and won from both the seats
Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi on February 14 set the stage for a major shift in her political career as she filed her nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Rajasthan. The move came just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls expected to be held in April-May this year.
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Sonia Gandhi's decision marks the end of her 25-year journey in the Lok Sabha, which saw several highs and lows. The 77-year-old led the grand old party to two back-to-back wins in 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections. However, it was followed by a low as the Congress party plunged to just 44 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014.
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Sonia Gandhi's political journey took off in 1999 when she was first elected as a Member of Parliament (MP). She contested from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh and Bellary in Karnataka and won from both the seats. However, she decided to retain Amethi which was a family stronghold.
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In 2004, the Italian-born bahu of the Gandhi family moved her political base to Raebareli, allowing her son Rahul Gandhi to make his Lok Sabha debut from that seat. In 2006, Sonia Gandhi was embroiled in office of profit controversy on account of her being the chairperson of the National Advisory Council, following which she submitted her resignation as Lok Sabha MP.
Later, in May 2006, the Congress leader was re-elected from Raebareli with a margin of over four lakh votes. Even during the Narendra Modi wave in 2014 and 2019, Sonia Gandhi retained her segment, however, Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi to BJP's Smriti Irani in 2019.
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Her exit from the Lok Sabha elections race has sparked speculations regarding the potential entrance of daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. According to reports, Priyanka Gandhi may contest from the Congress stronghold of Raebareli in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. As for Sonia Gandhi, she leaves behind a rich legacy.
