Profile: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi was named secretary general of Congress in 2007

Rahul Gandhi is the heir apparent of his family's dynasty, considered by many to be a prime minister in waiting.

The son of murdered former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and his Italian-born widow, Sonia, he has recently been building up his own political profile as he strives to emerge from his parents' shadow.

He represents the fourth generation of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has led the Congress party, and India, for much of the time since independence from Britain in 1947.

His grandmother, Indira, was another prime minister, also assassinated, while his great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, was independent India's first leader.

Click here for the family tree

In 2004, Rahul stood for parliament and won the traditional family constituency of Amethi in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which his father had once held.

Sonia Gandhi is currently Congress party president, and in September 2007 Rahul was named as the party's secretary general.

'Backroom operator'

His decision to enter formal politics before the 2004 general election took many by surprise.

Congress hopes Rahul Gandhi can attract new, young voters

Until then Rahul Gandhi had been seen as a shy man whose interests were thought to lie more in cricket matches and the outdoors than in political life.

Priyanka, his sister, was viewed by many as the more charismatic of the pair and the more likely to enter parliament.

Why he, rather than she, answered the party's call for a new generation of Gandhis was not fully clear.

Despite Rahul's "dark horse" image, however, he is said by some analysts to have a detailed political knowledge and to be a practised backroom operator.

Since his election to parliament, Rahul has been widely expected to play a major role either in government or the party.

Even so, in January 2006 he turned down appeals to play a more high-profile Congress party role.

"My place right now is among our people, my place right now is to learn and understand so I can serve my people and party better," he said.

Now, following his appointment as general secretary of Congress, he is the man expected to step up as and when someone is needed to succeed the ageing Congress Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Questions

Rahul Gandhi was born on 19 June 1970 and went to the finest Indian schools.

Later he studied economics in the US and worked in London before returning to work in Mumbai (Bombay) in 2002.

Predictably enough, many within the Congress party saw his move into politics as positive.

Rahul Gandhi has been trying to raise his profile

But the decision was seen by some to highlight the party's lack of alternatives and its continuing reliance on the Nehru-Gandhi family for leadership and direction.

Though Mr Gandhi has talked about infusing fresh blood into Congress, the party hierarchy remains an ageing one.

It also remains to be seen if he can turn the support he has received from his party into votes, observers say.

Leading Indian analyst Ramachandra Guha says that Mr Gandhi is handsome and charming, but he is yet to show the necessary will and drive needed to succeed in the harsh world of Indian politics.

In 2007, he played a major role in Congress's campaigning in elections in India's biggest state, Uttar Pradesh. But the party failed to reverse its declining fortunes there.

The following year, he kicked off a campaign called the "discovery of India", aimed at winning over hearts and minds and projecting himself as a future leader.

Some analysts say that India's fractured polity and the growing strength of regional parties mean that Rahul Gandhi will have to master the art of making friends with disparate and unpredictable allies.

Being a Gandhi dynasty scion no longer guarantees handsome returns at the hustings.

Click here to return