Sonia Gandhi, Congress president, turns 73-year-old today, i.e. on December 9, 2019. Gandhi was born on December 9,  1946, and has been the longest-serving president of the Congress party for a record 19 years. She served the party from the year 1998 till the time her son Rahul Gandhi, took charge in the year 2017.  Congress, the left-of-centre political party, governed India for most of its post-independence history. Sonia took over as the party leader in 1998, seven years after the assassination of her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, a former prime minister of India. Sonia Gandhi Birthday Special: Lesser-Known Facts About Congress's Saviour-in-Chief.

Sonia Gandhi (original name Edvige Antonia Albina Maino), was born in Vicenza, Italy and was raised in a Roman Catholic family. After completing her primary education at local schools, she moved for language classes to Cambridge, England, where she met Rajiv Gandhi, and later married him in 1968.

Take a Look at These Rare Family Photos of the Congress President

  1. Sonia Gandhi With Her Daughter Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra and Husband Rajiv Gandhi

 

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#Repost @priyankagandhivadra (@get_repost) ・・・ #RajivGandhi #SoniaGandhi #PriyankaGandhi

A post shared by Sonia Gandhi (@iamsoniagandhi) on

2. Sonia Gandhi with Husband Rajiv Gandhi

 

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#worldcycleday #cycle #day #SoniaGandhi #RajivGandhi #RahulGandhi @rahulgandhi

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3. Sonia Gandhi with her Mother-in-Law Indira Gandhi

 

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#memories with #Indira Ji #SoniaGandhi #RahulGandhi #IndiraGandhi @rahulgandhi

A post shared by Sonia Gandhi (@iamsoniagandhi) on

4. Sonia Gandhi With Her Husband Rajiv Gandhi and Kids Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi

 

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#missyou #rajivji #OldMemories #RajivGandhiJi #Rahul #Priyanka @rahulgandhi @priyankagandhivadra

A post shared by Sonia Gandhi (@iamsoniagandhi) on

5. Sonia Gandhi With Her Husband Rajiv Gandhi

 

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#RajivJi ❤ #SoniaGandhi #RahulGandhi #RajivGandhi

A post shared by Sonia Gandhi (@iamsoniagandhi) on

6. Sonia Gandhi With Her Husband Rajiv Gandhi and Kids Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi

 

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#missyou #rajivji #soniagandhi #rahulgandhi #priyankagandhivadra #rajivgandhi #oldmemories

A post shared by Sonia Gandhi (@iamsoniagandhi) on

 

7. Sonia Gandhi with Her Mother-in-law Indira Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi

 

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#oldmemories with #indira_gandhi ji Miss you #IndiraGandhi Ji ❤ #soniagandhi #rahulgandhi #priyankagandhivadra

A post shared by Sonia Gandhi (@iamsoniagandhi) on

This year, the Congress President will not celebrate her birthday in the wake of rape incidents in various parts of the country and concerns over women's security. According to reports, Gandhi has decided not to celebrate her birthday as she is saddened by rape incidents and assaults on women in various parts of the country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 09, 2019 08:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).