Editing Sonia Gandhi (section)

===Political debut and Congress presidency (1991–1998)===
After Rajiv Gandhi [[Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi|was assassinated in 1991]] and Sonia Gandhi refused<ref>{{Cite news|last=Weinraub|first=Bernard|date=24 May 1991|title=ASSASSINATION IN INDIA; Sonia Gandhi Declines Invitation To Assume Husband's Party Post|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/24/world/assassination-india-sonia-gandhi-declines-invitation-assume-husband-s-party-post.html|access-date=13 September 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=4 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904120012/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/24/world/assassination-india-sonia-gandhi-declines-invitation-assume-husband-s-party-post.html|url-status=live}}</ref> to succeed him as the Congress president and prime minister, the party settled on the choice of [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]] who subsequently became Prime Minister after winning elections [[1991 Indian general election|that year]]. Over the next few years, however, the Congress fortunes continued to dwindle and it lost the [[1996 Indian general election|1996 elections]]. Several senior leaders such as [[Madhavrao Sindhia]], [[Rajesh Pilot]], [[Narayan Dutt Tiwari]], [[Arjun Singh (politician, born 1930)|Arjun Singh]], [[Mamata Banerjee]], [[G. K. Moopanar]], [[P. Chidambaram]] and [[Jayanthi Natarajan]] were in open revolt against incumbent President [[Sitaram Kesri]] and many of whom quit the party, splitting the Congress into many factions.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-the-sitaram-kesri-case-how-dynasty-trumped-ethics-1564149 |title=The Sitaram Kesri case: How dynasty trumped ethics &#124; Latest News & Updates at |work=Daily News & Analysis |date=10 July 2011 |access-date=30 May 2014 |archive-date=10 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110175346/https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-the-sitaram-kesri-case-how-dynasty-trumped-ethics-1564149%20 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In an effort to revive the party's sagging fortunes, she joined the Congress Party as a primary member in the Calcutta Plenary Session in 1997 and became party leader in 1998.<ref name=elections.in/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/sonia-gandhi-re-elected-congress-president-unopposed-49389|title=Sonia Gandhi re-elected Congress president, unopposed|work=NDTV|date=3 September 2010|access-date=30 May 2014|archive-date=10 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110175420/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sonia-gandhi-re-elected-congress-president-unopposed-429920|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 1999, three senior leaders of the party ([[Sharad Pawar]], [[P. A. Sangma]], and [[Tariq Anwar (politician)|Tariq Anwar]]) challenged her right to try to become India's Prime Minister because of her foreign origins. In response, she offered to resign as party leader, resulting in an outpouring of support and the expulsion from the party of the three rebels who went on to form the [[Nationalist Congress Party]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-10-17 |title=From successive Lok Sabha wins to historic low: The rise and fall of Congress under Sonia, Rahul Gandhi |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/from-successive-lok-sabha-wins-to-historic-low-the-rise-and-fall-of-congress-under-sonia-rahul/articleshow/94900541.cms |access-date=2024-06-06 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |archive-date=6 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606133421/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/from-successive-lok-sabha-wins-to-historic-low-the-rise-and-fall-of-congress-under-sonia-rahul/articleshow/94900541.cms |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9905/17/india.gandhi.01/index.html|title=India's Congress Party rallies for Sonia Gandhi|date=17 May 1999|publisher=CNN|access-date=2 February 2010|archive-date=10 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110175553/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9905/17/india.gandhi.01/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Within 62 days of joining as a primary member, she was offered the party President post which she accepted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.in/political-leaders/sonia-gandhi.html|title=Sonia Gandhi Biography – about, family and professional history, political journey and awards won|publisher=Elections.in|access-date=11 March 2014|archive-date=10 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110175452/http://www.elections.in/political-leaders/sonia-gandhi.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

She contested Lok Sabha elections from [[Bellary (Lok Sabha constituency)|Bellary]], Karnataka and [[Amethi (Lok Sabha constituency)|Amethi]], Uttar Pradesh in 1999. She won both seats but chose to represent Amethi.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/02/28/stories/2004022807090400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404174652/http://www.hindu.com/2004/02/28/stories/2004022807090400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 April 2004|title= A Congress bastion since 1952|date=28 February 2004|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=24 May 2014}}</ref> In Bellary, she had defeated veteran BJP leader, [[Sushma Swaraj]].<ref>{{cite web|title=General election 1999, Candidate wise result|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/candidatewise/GE_1999.xls|publisher=Election Commission of India|access-date=26 March 2012|archive-date=17 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117191247/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/candidatewise/GE_1999.xls|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/ballari-saw-sonias-ls-debut-now-a-rally-here-to-mark-1000-km-of-rahul-yatra-8207106/|title=Ballari saw Sonia's LS debut, now a rally here to mark 1,000 km of Rahul Yatra|date=13 October 2022 }}</ref>