1. Rahul Gandhi previously represented the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala, from 2019 to 2024, and Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, from 2004 to 2019.
88 Facts About Rahul Gandhi
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Rahul Gandhi received primary education in New Delhi and then attended The Doon School.
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Rahul Gandhi commenced his undergraduate degree at St Stephen's College before moving to Harvard University.
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Rahul Gandhi ventured into politics in the 2000s, leading the Indian Youth Congress and National Students Union of India, while being a trustee of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust.
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Rahul Gandhi led the Congress party during the 2014 and 2019 general elections, where the party experienced significant defeats, securing 44 and 52 seats, respectively.
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Ahead of the 2024 Indian general elections, Rahul Gandhi spearheaded the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, contributing to the INC winning 99 seats and regaining the status of Official Opposition for the first time in a decade.
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Rahul Gandhi won the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 elections and was nominated to serve as Leader of the Opposition.
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Rahul Gandhi was born on 19 June 1970 at Holy Family Hospital in Delhi.
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Rahul Gandhi was the first of two children born to Rajiv Gandhi, who later served as the 6th prime minister of India, and Sonia Gandhi, who went on to become the president of the Indian National Congress.
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Rahul Gandhi completed his elementary education at St Columba's School in New Delhi.
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Rahul Gandhi then attended The Doon School in Dehradun from 1981 to 1983.
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At Doon, Rahul Gandhi studied alongside notable contemporaries, including former Congress members Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada.
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Rahul Gandhi joined St Stephen's College, Delhi, an affiliated college of the University of Delhi, in 1989 for his undergraduate education.
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Rahul Gandhi gained admission to St Stephen's College for BA History through the sports quota, which granted a 10 per cent advantage in exam scores to promising athletes; per National Rifle Association of India testimonials, Gandhi stood 4th in the 32nd National Shooting Competition held in New Delhi from 26 December 1988 to 5 January 1989.
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Rahul Gandhi had finished fourth in the Centre Fire Pistol 25 M Men's civilian event with a score of 371 out of 400 points.
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Rahul Gandhi further went on to obtain an Master of Philosophy in Development Studies, from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1995.
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In March 2004, Rahul Gandhi announced his entry into politics by declaring that he would contest the 14th general elections from his father's former constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha, India's lower house of parliament.
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Rahul Gandhi's mother had held the seat until she transferred to the neighbouring constituency of Raebareli.
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When Rahul Gandhi made this announcement, it came as a surprise to political commentators, who had perceived his sister Priyanka Rahul Gandhi as the more charismatic and probable successor.
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Rahul Gandhi secured a victory by a substantial margin of over 100,000 votes, thereby maintaining the stronghold of his family in Uttar Pradesh.
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Rahul Gandhi did not hold any official role or position within the government.
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From 2004 to 2006, Rahul Gandhi served as a member for the Standing Committee on Home Affairs.
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Rahul Gandhi was a prominent figure in the Congress campaign for the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election; Congress did not perform well in those elections, winning 22 seats of the 403 seats with 8.53 per cent of the vote.
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On 24 September 2007, Rahul Gandhi was appointed as the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee, the governing body of the Congress party, as part of a reshuffle of the party secretariat.
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Rahul Gandhi's campaigning included addressing public rallies and meetings, interacting with voters, and highlighting the party's vision and agenda for the country.
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Rahul Gandhi specifically focused on issues such as rural development, education, employment, and women's empowerment.
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Rahul Gandhi, emphasised the importance of youth participation in politics and urged them to be more involved in shaping the country's future.
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Rahul Gandhi retained his Amethi seat by defeating his nearest rival by a margin of over 370,000 votes.
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Rahul Gandhi was credited with the Congress revival in Uttar Pradesh where they won 21 out of the total 80 Lok Sabha seats.
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In September 2007, Rahul Gandhi was appointed as general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress, segment of the Congress party that represents the younger generation, and the National Students Union of India, the faction that caters to the student community.
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In November 2008, Rahul Gandhi held interviews at his 12 Tughlak Lane residence in New Delhi to handpick at least 40 people to make up the IYC's think tank.
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In 2009, during Rahul Gandhi's visit to West Bengal, the state unit of the Youth Congress registered 1 million members.
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Rahul Gandhi advocated for greater student representation in decision-making processes and supported student leaders in their endeavours.
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Ahead of the 2014 Indian general election, Rahul Gandhi was named the vice president of the Indian National Congress, effectively making him the party's second-in-command.
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Rahul Gandhi contested the 2014 Indian general election from his constituency, Amethi, and led the election campaign of the Indian National Congress.
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Rahul Gandhi retained the Amethi seat by defeating his nearest rival, BJP's Smriti Irani, by a margin of 107,000 votes.
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Rahul Gandhi led the 2019 election campaign of the Congress party.
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Rahul Gandhi promised to fill 22 lakhs government jobs within one year coming to power at the Centre.
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Rahul Gandhi used the slogan "Chowkidar Chor Hai" as a jibe against Narendra Modi, BJP's prime ministerial candidate during his election rallies.
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Rahul Gandhi won the Wayanad seat with over 60 per cent vote share.
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Rahul Gandhi lost his existing seat of Amethi to Smriti Irani of the BJP by a margin of 55,120 votes.
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Ahead of the 2024 Indian general elections, Rahul Gandhi spearheaded political initiatives, including the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which were designed to address pressing social and economic issues facing the country.
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Rahul Gandhi alleged that the loan given to AJL was illegal, as it had been taken from party funds.
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Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were granted bail by the trial court on 19 December 2015.
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Rahul Gandhi started the initiative on 7 September 2022 at Kanyakumari after paying tributes to his late father Rajiv Rahul Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, and the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar.
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From 14 January to 20 March 2024, Rahul Gandhi led a second yatra across India from east to west, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra; unlike the previous version, the Yatra was conducted in a hybrid mode.
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Rahul Gandhi alleged that Gandhi had defamed all individuals with the surname Modi.
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On 16 July 2019, the Surat court excused Rahul Gandhi from appearing personally in court due to short notice.
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On 23 March 2023, Rahul Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to two years' imprisonment under charges of defamation.
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The disqualification of Rahul Gandhi prompted widespread reactions and responses, from the Congress party as well as other opposition leaders and lawmakers abroad.
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Rahul Gandhi referred specifically to more-polarising figures in the Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Also responding to the ambassador's query about the activities in the region by the Islamist militant organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba, Rahul Gandhi said there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India's indigenous Muslim population.
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BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Rahul Gandhi, saying that his language was a bigger threat to India, dividing the people of the country on communal grounds.
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Rahul Gandhi has been critical of groups like the RSS and has compared them to terrorist organisations like SIMI.
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Congress's Jairam Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi needed to apologise to the Muslim community for this remark.
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In reply to the ECI's show-cause notice to explain why action should not be initiated against him for violating the Model Code of Conduct, Rahul Gandhi said that he didn't intend to exploit communal sentiments but was referring to divisive politics.
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Rahul Gandhi opines that the Lokpal should be made a constitutional body and it should be made accountable to the Parliament, just like the Election Commission of India.
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Rahul Gandhi opined that Lokpal alone cannot root out corruption, rather a strong political will is needed to remove corruption.
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Rahul Gandhi's statement was considered a delaying tactic by the opposition and Team Anna's members.
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On 19 April 2015 Rahul Gandhi addressed the farmer and worker's rally, named as Kisan Khet Mazdoor Rally in Ramlila Maidan.
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Rahul Gandhi borrowed thousands of crores from industrialists for his several campaigns and advertisements.
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Rahul Gandhi will give your land to his industrialist friends.
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Rahul Gandhi razzed the government as a "suit-boot government", a reference to Modi's monogrammed suit which he wore in the Republic Day meeting with Barack Obama.
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Rahul Gandhi further accused the government of diluting the bill and called it "anti-farmer".
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Rahul Gandhi drew a parallel between "daylight robbery" and the bill.
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Rahul Gandhi has spoken publicly about the importance of women's empowerment and gender equality in India.
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Rahul Gandhi initiated the Self-Help Groups amongthe women in the villages of Amethi.
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Rahul Gandhi has called for increased representation of women in politics and for the eradication of gender-based violence.
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In 2019, while addressing students in Chennai, Rahul Gandhi again called for 33 per cent reservation of all parliamentary Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly seats for women, as well as government jobs.
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Rahul Gandhi supported this move, stating that he believed that issues related to personal freedom should be left to the individual.
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Rahul Gandhi opined that it's essential to uphold the constitutional guarantee of life and liberty to all citizens of India.
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Rahul Gandhi has been very concerned about the environmental degradation of the world and has said that unless environmental problems are made a political issue, they will not get the attention they deserve.
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Rahul Gandhi criticised the Environment Impact Assessment 2020 draft by calling it "dangerous" and said that its long term consequences will be harmful.
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Rahul Gandhi while addressing All India Congress Committee in Jaipur, called for an end to red tape and outdated laws that slow job creation.
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Rahul Gandhi is of the view that RSS and crony capitalists are colluding to control India.
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Rahul Gandhi has been specifically harsh on Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, to whom he said the Modi Government has been very favourable.
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Rahul Gandhi sees the rise of Adani as a direct consequence of crony capitalism.
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Rahul Gandhi said that he is not anti-business and supports fairness.
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Rahul Gandhi has called it a "tragedy" and a "disaster" that has negatively impacted the Indian economy and the lives of ordinary citizens.
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Rahul Gandhi has accused the government of carrying out the policy without adequate planning and causing immense hardship to the poor and vulnerable sections of society.
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Rahul Gandhi has argued that the policy was implemented without proper consultation with experts or the opposition parties.
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Rahul Gandhi further asserted that, demonetisation caused significant disruption to farmers, and rendered millions jobless in small and medium-sized businesses, and workers in the informal sector.
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In 2004, the Rahul Gandhi was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha and served as a member of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs from 2004 to 2006, as well as a member of the Standing Committee on Human Resource Development from 2006 to 2009.
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In 2014, Rahul Gandhi was elected to the 16th Lok Sabha for a third term and served as a member of the Standing Committee on External Affairs, as well as a member of the Consultative Committee on Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs.
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In 2024, Rahul Gandhi was elected to 18th Lok Sabha for a fifth term and served as 12th Leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, as well as a member for Standing Committee on Defence.
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Between 2008 and 2013, Rahul Gandhi assumed the role of general secretary within the Indian National Congress.
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Since 2007, Rahul Gandhi has been the chairperson of both the Indian Youth Congress and the National Students' Union of India, positions he established and currently holds.
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Subsequently, from 2017 to 2019, Rahul Gandhi served as the president of the INC, succeeding Sonia Rahul Gandhi.