Shortly before the Lok Sabha elections in 1998, in response to widespread demands from Congress party rank and file, she entered public life.

Sonia Gandhi took the primary membership of the party in 1997. As Chairperson of these, she kept herself occupied in their activities which commemorate her husband's legacy. At the same time, she looked after his parliamentary constituency, Amethi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, concentrating on health-care camps and other welfare activities.ДЄfter the assassination of her husband in May 1991, she set up the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, a non- governmental organisation, and its associated think-tank, the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies. During the years 1984 to 1991 when her husband was Prime Minister and then briefly leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, she assumed a limited public role, mostly accompanying him on his tours in the country and abroad. Indira Gandhi, during many of her official duties and frequently acted as her hostess. She was a companion to her mother-in-law, Smt. Gandhi spent most of her married life largely as a private citizen looking after her family. She has a son, Shri Rahul Gandhi, a daughter, Smt. She met Shri Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge where she was doing an English language course. After her early education, she attended a foreign language school where she studied English, French and Russian. She was also the Chairperson of the Coordinating Committee of the ruling coalition, the United Progressive Alliance.

She is the longest serving President of the party, having been elected since 1998. Sonia Gandhi is the President of the Indian National Congress Party. Kanchee Aringer Anna Dravida Makkal KazhagamДЄkhil Bharatiya Garib Mazdoor Kisan PartyДЄkhil Bharatiya Hindustani Krantikari Samajwadi PartyДЄkhil Bharatiya Lok Tantrik Alp-Sankhyak Jan MorchaДЄkhil Bharatiya Manav Kalyan Ram Rajya CommitteeДЄkahand Bharat Mahasangh Sarvahara Krantikari PartyДЄkhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Azad Hind PartyДЄkhil Bharatiya Rajivwadi Congress (Dubey)ДЄkhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad (Prem Ballabh Vyas)ДЄkhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad (V.S.Atul).President of the Indian National Congress

The status of a state party can still be bestowed upon an entity even if it fails to win any seats in the Lok Sabha or the Assembly, if it manages to win at least eight per cent of the total votes cast in the entire state.ДЄkhil Bhartiya Bharat Desham Party, DelhiДЄkhil Bharatiya Bhrastachar Nirmoolan Sena.

In a particular election, the party has to bag at least six per cent of the total votes, and also win one Lok Sabha and two Assembly seats.

It has to win minimum one seat in the Lok Sabha for every 25 seats or any fraction allotted to that concerned state.

The party has to win at least three seats or three per cent of the seats in the state legislative Assembly.

The party is recognised as a 'state level party' in four or more states.ДЄ party has to live up to at least one of the following qualifications to be acknowledged as a state party.

In General Elections, the party must manage to win six per cent of the votes and win at least four Lok Sabha seats as well.

It has to win a minimum of two per cent of the seats in the Lok Sabha from at least three different states.

The Election Commission has laid down certain criteria for a party to be recognised as national or state level parties.ДЄ party has to live up to at least one of the following qualifications to be recognised as a national party:

Indian national leaders