5 interesting facts you may not know about Priyanka Gandhi

Priyanka Gandhi

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was appointed as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on January 23.

The announcement was made by the Indian National Congress on January 23. Priyanka will take charge starting February.

While it is known that Priyanka is the daughter of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, her public appearances have been far and few between.

Speculation regarding her entry into politics has been on for a long time now. However, there was no indication as such before the formal announcement.

Here are some of the interesting things that you did not know about Priyanka:

- Priyanka had given her first public speech at the age of 16. However, she did not demonstrate the skills for much of her life after that, as she stayed away from active politics.

- In an interview to NDTV, Gandhi said that she was confused and spent 10 days in Vipasana meditation in 1999 "so that I better know what my own mind is, rather than what other people want of me."

- Priyanka has played an instrumental role in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi and Rae Bareli regions, both Congress strongholds, during assembly and Lok Sabha polls. In fact, during the 2007 assembly polls, she reportedly had played a major role in suppressing in-fighting within Congress over seat-allocation.

- Priyanka has an MA in Buddhist studies, which she completed in 2010.

- The 47-year-old managed her mother Sonia Gandhi's campaign during the 2004 general elections and has also admitted to writing speeches for her.