Dimple Yadav Trails In Close Battle In Kannauj

Dimple Yadav, a two-time Samajwadi Party lawmaker, is contesting for the third time from Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj, a party stronghold. She is currently trailing from the seat in a close battle with the BJP's Subrat Pathak. Not the most visible MP in parliament - she had 31 per cent attendance and asked no questions, according to PRS legislative research, the 41-year-old has increasingly been seen with her husband, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav this election season.

Dimple Yadav's joint interviews with her husband are seen as a Samajwadi Party strategy to do away with its misogynistic, sexist image. Samajwadi party leaders have often been caught making controversial comments that betray deep-seated sexist mindset persisting in large parts of north India. The latest example is Azam Khan, who was banned from campaigning for his comments against rival Jaya Prada. Dimple Yadav called the comments "Chhoti si baat (minor)".

Akhilesh Yadav has sought to wash away that image by sharing screen space with his wife. And Dimple Yadav, rarely known to speak earlier and reviewed poorly on social media on her speeches, has held her own in interviews.

Recently, she sparked talk by touching BSP chief Mayawati's feet. It was a politically important gesture as an outreach towards Mayawati's Dalit support base, crucial for their alliance to work.

Dimple Yadav took over Kannauj after Akhilesh Yadav resigned from the Lok Sabha in 2012 after becoming the youngest chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

The daughter of an Army officer, Dimple Yadav spent her childhood on the move, growing up in Bhatinda, Pune, Lucknow and Andaman and Nicobar. Her friends say she is quick to adapt to new places, situations and environments.

Dimple Rawat met Akhilesh Yadav, just returned from Australia, while studying at the Lucknow University in the late 1990s.

Dimple and Akhilesh married in 1999 in a grand ceremony attended by top politicians, film stars and celebrities like Amitabh Bachhan and Rajesh Khanna. The couple has three children -- 10-year-old daughter Aditi and six-year-old twins Arjun and Tina.

Dimple is known for her passion for books and painting.

In 2009, her husband effortlessly won two Lok Sabha seats -- Kannauj and Firozabad. He kept Kannauj, leaving Firozabad for Dimple, but she lost to Congress candidate Raj Babbar, a former Samajwadi Party leader. In 2012, when Akhilesh Yadav became Chief Minister, Dimple Yadav contested and won from Kannauj.

In 2014, Dimple Yadav won the seat again, in a close fight. She faces the same rival, the BJP's Subrat Pathak.