Born in 1861, Motilal Nehru joined the Indian National Congress, which spearheaded the campaign for independence from British rule.
Jawaharlal Nehru: first post-independence Prime Minister
Known as Pandit Nehru, he led India after the upheaval of the partition of the sub-continent at the end of the British Raj in 1947. The Nehru-Gandhi family is not related to the revered Mahatma Gandhi, who led the struggle against the British.
Indira Gandhi: autocratic tendencies
Nehru's daughter, Indira, became a Gandhi through marriage. As Prime Minister, she introduced emergency laws restricting the opposition and ordered the storming of the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar. She was gunned down by one of her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.
Sanjay Gandhi: the heir apparent
Sanjay, Indira's younger son, was being groomed for a political role in the Congress Party when he was killed while performing flying stunts over New Delhi in 1980.
Rajiv Gandhi: thrust into the limelight
Rajiv, the oldest son of Indira and an unassuming airline pilot, inherited the Gandhi mantle after his brother's death. A suicide bomber blew him up in 1991.
Sonia Gandhi: a reclusive figure
Sonia, Rajiv's wife, never really took to politics, preferring to stay out of the limelight. But in a surprising move she campaigned on behalf of the Congress party during the elections of February 1998.
Priyanka Gandhi: the future hope
Priyanka, Sonia's striking 26-year old daughter, has so far shunned an official role in Congress. But she pointedly retained the Gandhi family name after her marriage to Robert Vadra, a jewellery designer and exporter.
Sonia Gandhi: the reluctant politician
(12 Jan 98 | Special Report)
Sonia Gandhi steps into Indian politics
(11 Jan 98 | World)
Indian election briefing
Causes of the election
BJP - riding the wave of Hindu nationalism
Congress - a party in crisis
Sonia Gandhi: the reluctant politician
India's ruling dynasty
India: the economy
How healthy is India's democracy?