Photos: Sonia Gandhi celebrates her 71st birthday

Outgoing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi celebrates 71st birthday as son Rahul steps in-- photos from HT archives that trace her 19 year long journey as Congress president.

Updated on: Dec 10, 2017 11:58 AM IST

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Former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi with Sonia Gandhi in April 24, 1991. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who turned 71 on Saturday, will hand over the reins of the grand old party to her son Rahul Gandhi next week after holding the post for a record 19 consecutive years. (Arun Jetlie / HT ARCHIVE)

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Sonia Gandhi seen with former Congress President Sitaram Kesari on January 1998. After suffering from a loss in the Lok Shaba polls in 1998, Sonia Gandhi was elected to be the president of Indian National Congress. (Prakash Singh / HT ARCHIVE)

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Sonia Gandhi (greeted by P. V. Narasimha Rao) on March 17,1998 after becoming the president of the Indian National Congress. (Girish Srivastava / HT ARCHIVE)

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Sonia Gandhi is greeted by her supporters on May 17, 1999. On the day, after members of the Congress Working Committee led by Sharad Pawar questioned her foreign origin and posed her as a liability, Sonia Gandhi resigned as the party president. She later rejoined office on May 24, 1999. (Pradeep Singh / HT ARCHIVE)

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Sonia Gandhi reaches for a microphone during the All India Congress Committee Meeting (AICC) on May 25, 1999. Later that year in October, she lead the Congress to its worst tally in the Lok Sabha, with the party winning just 114 seats. (Manish Swarup / HT ARCHIVE)

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Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being greeted by Congress President Sonia Gandhi after the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. (SN Sinha / HT ARCHIVE)

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Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, DMK Leader Kanimozhi, NCP Leader Sharad Pawar, RJD Leader Lalu Prasad and others during all opposition party meeting at Parliament House Library in New Delhi. (Arvind Yadav / HT PHOTO)

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Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with Sonia Gandhi at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi. In the past two years, Sonia Gandhi has taken a backseat and the Congress has been gearing up to be led by her son. (Arvind Yadav / HT PHOTO)