By IANS,
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004 from the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
He was appointed general secretary of the party in 2007 and also given charge of the Indian Youth Congress and the National Students’ Union of India.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress won 21 seats of the total 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh and the credit for this was given to Rahul Gandhi.
The son of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi is an M.Phil in development economics and is educated at Trinity College, Cambridge University, according to the Lok Sabha website.
In the category of profession, he has been described as strategy consultant.
He has held the posts of Member, Committee on Home Affairs, and also member of a panel on human resource development.
He is associated with the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation; Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund; Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Trust; and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust.
His date of birth is June 19, 1970, and his status is unmarried.
His special interests, according to the website, are: Promotion of primary education; issues related to the empowerment of the Dalits and other oppressed sections of society; preservation of marine environment; international affairs.
His favourite pastime and recreation: Reading (History, Sociology, International Relations, Development, Management, Biographies), playing chess and flying, Sports and Clubs, Scuba diving, swimming, cycling, playing squash.