BANGALORE—A jet carrying India's ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and the country's finance minister made an emergency landing Thursday because of a technical problem, an official said.

Gandhi and Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram were flying from the capital New Delhi to the southern city of Coimbatore, but the private jet had to touch down in Bangalore, 250 kilometers (160 miles) short of its destination.

"The plane made a safe landing. Another aircraft has been arranged to fly her for a public meeting this evening," senior Congress party official Mallikarjun Kharge told Agence France-Presse in Bangalore.

The official gave no details on the nature of the technical problem.