Rahul Gandhi (born 19 June 1970) is an Indian politician and senior leader of the Indian National Congress. He has been Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha since 2024. He is the son of Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi, grandson of Indira Gandhi and great-grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru. He served as Congress president from 2017 to 2019, and his cross-country Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022–23 reshaped his public image.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Rahul Gandhi |
| Born | 19 June 1970, New Delhi, India |
| Age | 56 |
| Party | Indian National Congress |
| Office | Leader of the Opposition, Lok Sabha (since June 2024) |
| Constituency | Rae Bareli (formerly Amethi and Wayanad) |
| Education | Rollins College, USA (BA); Trinity College, Cambridge (MPhil) |
| Parents | Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi |
| Sister | Priyanka Gandhi Vadra |
Early Life and Education
Rahul was born in New Delhi. His childhood was shaped by tragedy: his grandmother Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984, and his father, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1991. Because of security threats he was partly home-schooled. He studied briefly at St. Stephen’s College in Delhi and at Harvard University, then completed a BA at Rollins College in Florida and an MPhil in development studies at Trinity College, Cambridge. He worked for a management consultancy in London before returning to India.
Political Career
Rahul entered politics in 2004, winning his father’s former seat of Amethi, and held it for 15 years. He became general secretary of the Congress, in charge of its youth and student wings, and vice-president of the party in 2013.
Rahul became Congress president in December 2017. In the 2019 election he lost Amethi to the BJP’s Smriti Irani but won Wayanad in Kerala. After the party’s second heavy defeat, he resigned as president.
From September 2022 to January 2023, Rahul walked about 4,000 km from Kanyakumari to Srinagar in the Bharat Jodo Yatra (“Unite India March”), meeting people along the way. It was followed in 2024 by the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Mumbai. In 2023 he was convicted in a criminal defamation case over remarks about the “Modi” surname and disqualified from Parliament. The Supreme Court stayed the conviction months later and he was reinstated.
In the 2024 general election the Congress nearly doubled its tally to 99 seats. Rahul won both Rae Bareli and Wayanad and kept Rae Bareli. In June 2024 he became Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the first Congress leader to hold the post in a decade. He has been a leading critic of Narendra Modi‘s government. In July 2026 he was briefly detained during protests over the NEET exam irregularities.
Personal Life
Rahul is unmarried. He is known for his interest in fitness and martial arts, including aikido, and he often interacts directly with students, workers and farmers during his tours.
Key Offices Held
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Rahul Gandhi born?
Rahul Gandhi was born on 19 June 1970 in New Delhi, India.
