Soniya

Sonia Gandhi s transformation from an unsure Congress party president to the unchallenged chief of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) who led the party to victory in two successive general elections is now part of Indian political legend. Her renunciation of the prime minister s post after the Congress victory in the 2004 elections undoubtedly enhanced her moral stature in the public eye, but it is the skilled handling of the equation with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that indicates her confidence in her position at the helm of national affairs. In this fully revised and updated biography, Rasheed Kidwai tracks the evolution of Sonia Gandhi against the backdrop of the Congress party s return to power after years in the Opposition and through both UPA governments. These years have witnessed Sonia Gandhi s increasing assurance in her dealings with party stalwarts, with coalition partners and with Opposition leaders. Drawing on his long experience as a political journalist, Kidwai chronicles Rahul Gandhi s smooth passage into the front rank of the party s leadership and gives a vivid account of how Sonia Gandhi navigated such critical moments as the office of profit crisis, the UPA s 2009 election victory and the 2G Spectrum controversy.