Ambika Soni

Ambika Soni (born 13 November 1942) is an Indian politician belonging to Indian National Congress. She had served as Minister of Information and Broadcasting. She is a Member of Parliament representing the state of Punjab in the Rajya Sabha.

Ambika Soni
Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) for
Punjab
In office
1996–2022
Minister of Information and Broadcasting
Government of India
In office
22 May 2009 – 27 October 2012
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byPriya Ranjan Dasmunsi
Succeeded byManish Tewari
Minister of Tourism and Culture
In office
29 January 2006 – 22 May 2009
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byRenuka Chowdhury
Succeeded byKumari Selja
President of
All India Mahila Congress
In office
1998–1999
PresidentSonia Gandhi
President of
Indian Youth Congress
In office
1975–1977
General Secretary of
All India Congress Committee
In office
1999–2020
PresidentRahul Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi
Member of
Congress Working Committee
Assumed office
1999
Personal details
Born (1942-11-13) 13 November 1942
Lahore, Punjab, British India
(now in Pakistan)
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse(s)Uday C. Soni
Children1
Residence(s)New Delhi
Alma materIndraprastha College, University of Delhi
University of Havana
Alliance Francaise
Welham Girls School

Early life and education

Born in Lahore in undivided Punjab to Nakul Sen Wadhwa, an Indian Civil Service officer and Lt. Governor of Goa in 1942.[1] Ambika studied at Welham Girls School, Dehradun and did her M.A. (Hons.) from Indraprastha College, Delhi University, followed by Diploma Superiore en Langue Francaise from Alliance Francaise, Bangkok and Post-Graduate Diploma in Spanish Art and Literature from University of Havana, Cuba. She got married in 1961 to Uday Soni, an Indian Foreign Service officer.

Political career

Ambika Soni began her political career in 1969 when she was co-opted into the Congress Party by Indira Gandhi at the time of the Party split in 1969. Soni was an old family friend of Gandhi from the time when her father was posted as District collector of Amritsar during the Partition of India and worked very closely with Jawaharlal Nehru.[2] In 1975 she was elected president of the Indian Youth Congress and worked closely with Sanjay Gandhi.[3] In March 1976 she was elected to Rajya Sabha. In 1998 she became the president of All India Mahila Congress. From 1999 - 2006 she was General Secretary of All India Congress Committee. In January 2000 she was again elected to Rajya Sabha and resigned on 10 June 2004. In July 2004 she was again elected to Rajya Sabha. From 29 January 2006 - 22 May 2009 she was Minister of Tourism and Minister of Culture in UPA I government. From 22 May 2009 - 27 October 2012 she was Minister of Information and Broadcasting in UPA II government.[4] In July 2010 she was re-elected to Rajya Sabha.

References
  1. Chadha, Kumkum (11 December 2009). "An affair to remember". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  2. Vohra, Pankaj (29 May 2009). "By invitation only- Interview with Ambika Soni". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  3. Chadha, Kumkum (11 December 2009). "An affair to remember". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 15 November 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  4. www.dailypioneer.com https://www.dailypioneer.com/home/online-channel/top-story/104614-soni-wasnik-sahai-resign-ahead-of-reshuffle.html. Retrieved 9 September 2020. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

12. Ambika Soni. https://www.india.gov.in/my-government/indian-parliament/smt-ambika-soni

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