Uday Soni, husband of senior Congress leader Ambika Soni, died on Saturday.
Congress Parliamentary Party President Sonia Gandhi, party MPs Kumari Selja and Ranjeet Ranjan along with several other dignitaries went to the Lodi Road cremation ground in New Delhi to pay their respects to the former Indian Foreign Service officer.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed his grief in a post on social media saying, “Saddened to learn of the demise of Shri Uday Soni Ji, husband of senior Congress leader and CWC member Smt. Ambika Soni Ji.”
“My condolences to Ambice Ji and her family at this time of grief. My thoughts are with them in this hour of grief,” he added.
Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala posted a message on X: “Condolences to our senior leader Smt. Ambice Soni and entire family on the sad demise of Sh. Uday Soni.
May his soul rest in peace and may God comfort the entire family.”
Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Azad Democratic Progressive Party (DPAP) said, “I have known Uday ji since 1975-76. It has been almost 50 years. At that time Ambika ji was the All India President and I was the State President…He was a gentleman, soft-spoken and educated…I always addressed Ambika ji as his demididi. Both Azad and Soni served as Congress presidents youth during his political career.
JKPCC President Tariq Hameed Karra said, “I am deeply saddened to learn of the demise of Shri Uday Chand Soni ji, beloved husband of our party’s supreme leader and former Union Minister Smt. Ambika Soni ji.”
Ambika Soni: Life and Career
Soni was born into a Christian family in Lahore in undivided Punjab. He holds a postgraduate diploma in Spanish art and literature from the University of Havana, Cuba.
Uday Soni got married in 1961 when she was 19 years old.
Soni entered politics after her marriage when she met former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Italy.
She was co-opted into the Youth Congress, of which she became the president in 1975. When Sonia Gandhi became the president of the All India Congress Committee in 1999, Sonia became the party’s general secretary.
She served five terms as a member of parliament.
