Priyanka Gandhi

Priyanka Gandhi had befriended Robert Vadra when she was in her early teens. Robert’s sister Michelle and Priyanka were classmates. With time, the friendship between the two deepened. Robert also befriended Rahul Gandhi.

A couple of years later Robert proposed to Priyanka. And the two of them tied the nuptial knot on February 18, 1997 in a traditional Hindu ceremony. The couple has two children, son Raihan and daughter Miraya.

She is an avid follower of Buddhist philosophy and a practitioner of Vipassanā as taught by S. N. Goenka. Her recent conversion to Buddhism is her means to acquire inner peace and tranquillity.

Priyanka Gandhi was born on January 12, 1972 in New Delhi, India. Her father, Rajiv Gandhi, was a scion of the Nehru-Gandhi clan and served as the Prime Minister of the country. Her mother, Sonia Gandhi, an Italian-born Indian currently serves as the President of the Indian National Congress. She has an elder brother, Rahul Gandhi, who is a Member of Parliament and Vice President of the Congress party.

She did her schooling from Modern School and Convent of Jesus & Mary in New Delhi. After completing her schooling, she did her graduation in Psychology from Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi.

At the age of 16, Priyanka Gandhi gave her first public speech. Ever since then, she has been a part of numerous political processions, rallies and conferences.

From an early age, she has regularly visited her mother's and brother's constituencies of Rae Bareilly and Amethi where she has dealt with the people directly.

When Sonia Gandhi took over as the President of the Indian National Congress, she revamped the party image completely. In the 2004 Indian general election, Sonia Gandhi led Congress party to victory

Priyanka Gandhi served as the campaign manager for Sonia Gandhi in the 2004 general election. She also helped supervise her brother Rahul Gandhi’s campaign in the constituency of Amethi.

Following the Congress party’s win in the 2004 elections, Priyanka’s stature in the party grew. Though she did not play any direct role in the party’s electoral win as a candidate or as a campaigner, she was the force behind it. She supported it completely.