Rahul Gandhi

Biography

Rahul Rajiv Gandhi was born on June 19, 1970, in New Delhi, India, into the well-known Nehru-Gandhi political family. As the son of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and grandson of Indira Gandhi, he experienced a period of unrest in Indian politics when political violence and security threats were common. He began his schooling in New Delhi before moving to The Doon School in Dehradun. After his grandmother was assassinated in 1984, security concerns grew, and he was home-schooled for much of his youth.

For higher education, Gandhi attended several prestigious institutions. He started at St. Stephen's College in Delhi, then transferred to Harvard University. After his father was assassinated in 1991, concerns over security led him to move to Rollins College in Florida, where he graduated in 1994. He later earned a Master of Philosophy degree at Trinity College, Cambridge. Following his studies, Gandhi briefly worked as a management consultant with the Monitor Group in London before returning to India to start a technology outsourcing company in Mumbai.

Gandhi entered politics in the 2000s, focusing initially on youth wings within the Congress party. He became active in leading the Indian Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India while also being a trustee of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust. His political career began in 2004 when he won the Lok Sabha seat from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, a constituency linked with his family. He kept this seat in 2009 but lost it in 2019, later winning from Wayanad, Kerala.

As Congress party president from December 2017 to July 2019, Gandhi led the party through tough general elections in 2014 and 2019, where Congress lost heavily, securing only 44 and 52 seats, respectively. Despite these losses, he remained a key opposition figure and played a crucial role in organizing major political campaigns, like the Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, before the 2024 elections. These efforts helped Congress perform better in 2024, winning 99 seats and gaining back the status of the official opposition. After this electoral success, Gandhi became the 12th Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and currently represents the Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh.