Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi (pronunciation Hindustani pronunciation: [ˈraːɦʊl ˈɡaːn̪d̪ʱi]; born 19 June 1970) is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian Parliament, representing the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala in the 17th Lok Sabha. A member of the Indian National Congress, he served as the president of the Indian National Congress from 16 December 2017 to 3 July 2019. Gandhi is the chairperson of the Indian Youth Congress, the National Students Union of India also a trustee of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust. Born in New Delhi, Gandhi spent his early childhood between Delhi and Dehradun and stayed away from the public sphere for much of his childhood and early youth. He attained primary education in New Delhi and Dehradun but was later homeschooled because of security concerns. Gandhi began his undergraduate career at St. Stephen's College before moving to Harvard University. Gandhi transferred to Rollins College in Florida due to security threats following the assassination of his father, the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He graduated in 1994. The next year, Gandhi obtained his M.Phil. from Cambridge. Post-graduation, he began his professional career with the Monitor Group, a management consulting firm in London. He soon returned to India and established the Mumbai-based technology outsourcing firm, Backops Services Private Ltd. In 2004, Gandhi announced to enter active politics and successfully contested the general elections held that year from Amethi, a seat that was earlier held by his father; he won again from the constituency in 2009 and 2014. Amidst calls from Congress party veterans for his greater involvement in party politics and national government, Gandhi was elected Congress Vice-President in 2013, having served as the General Secretary previously. Gandhi led the Congress's campaign in the 2014 Indian general elections; the party suffered its worst electoral result in its history, winning only 44 seats compared to 206 seats won previously in the 2009 general election. In 2017, Gandhi succeeded his mother as Congress party leader and led the Congress into the 2019 Indian general election. The Indian National Congress won 52 seats, failing to get 10% of the seats needed to claim the post of Leader of Opposition. After this poor performance in the election, Gandhi resigned as party leader and was succeeded by his mother, Sonia Gandhi.