Akhilesh Yadav

Yadav was born on 1 July 1973 in Saifai in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district. His parents were Mulayam Singh Yadav and Malti Devi. He attended Dholpur Military School in Rajasthan before studying engineering at the University of Mysore. He married Dimple Yadav on 24 November 1999. His party biography records three children, while his parliamentary profile identifies his educational qualification as B.E.

Yadav began his parliamentary career by winning the Kannauj by-election in 2000. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004 and 2009. His early parliamentary work included membership of committees on food and public distribution, ethics, science and technology, urban development and estimates. The parliamentary digital library also records his resignation from the Lok Sabha with effect from 2 May 2012.

Yadav took office as Chief Minister on 15 March 2012. The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council’s list records his tenure ending on 19 March 2017. At his appointment he was 38; the Samajwadi Party describes him as the youngest person to have held the state’s chief ministerial office. His term placed him in charge of the state executive after his earlier service as a parliamentary representative.

Yadav leads the Samajwadi Party as its president. After his 2019 election from Azamgarh, he returned to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj in 2024. He also previously represented Karhal in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, whose roster marks him as resigned. His service in the state Legislative Council ran from May 2012 to May 2018. His current parliamentary representation and party leadership are separate from these completed state legislative roles.