Congress leaders, CMs, PM Modi and others wish Sonia Gandhi on her 72nd Birthday

Political leaders from across the country and political spectrum have wished UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Sunday on the occasion of her 72nd birthday, even as the Congress has planned different celebrations in various states, before a large get-together scheduled for later in the day. She will also chair a CWC meeting. 

Congress media in-charge Randeep Surjewala shared a throwback picture of himself with the former Congress president on the occasion:

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh wished her as well:

Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said her sacrifices for the welfare of the country and for the Congress will always be remembered:

Congress MP and senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia wished her as well, crediting her dignified presence for inspiring the party and the nation:

Congress leader Raj Babbar wished her as well:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who rarely fails to send in a birthday wish on a relevant day wrote:

Mamata Banerjee is also likely to visit Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted his wish:

The Youth Congress wished her, calling her the backbone of the party:

DMK president MK Stalin is scheduled to visit Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Sunday to wish her and also personally invite her to inaugurate a statue of recently deceased former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi at the DMK's headquarters. She has already accepted the invite in a letter. The opposition will also hold an all-party meeting on Monday ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament.

Different regional wings of the Congress are celebrating Sonia Gandhi's birthday in different ways. The Uttarakhand Congress, for example, is observing it as 'Communal Harmony Day'.

Sonia Gandhi served for 10 years as the chairperson of the ruling UPA coalition, between 2004 to 2014. She had formally joined the Congress party in 1997, six years after her husband and former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, becoming party chief shortly after. She held the Congress president post for two decades till Rahul Gandhi succeeded her in 2017. 

Born as Sonia Maino near Italy's Vicenza, she met Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge where he studied Engineering and she, English. They were married in 1968.