New Delhi: The picture of Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple is circulating widely on social media, with users enthused over how Dimple gazes at her husband.
In the 18th Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav are the only couple to get elected together.
In the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, Akhilesh won from the Kannauj seat, defeating BJP's Subrat Pathak by over 1.7 lakh votes, while his wife Dimple won against BJP's Jayveer Singh by over 2.21 lakh votes in Mainpuri.
Akhilesh had previously won four Lok Sabha elections, and his victory in the 2024 general election makes him a five-time winner. Dimple Yadav has also won a total of four Lok Sabha elections. However, they have never been elected to the Lower House of Parliament at the same time before.
We have seen on many occasions that more than one family member gets elected to the Lok Sabha simultaneously. However, the country has witnessed the election of a husband and wife to the lower house of Parliament on rare occasions.
Here are some instances when both husband and wife were elected to the Lok Sabha simultaneously:
AK Gopalan and Suseela Gopalan (1967-1970)
AKG with his wife Susheela and daughter Laila |
AK Gopalan, one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was a five-time MP from 1952 to 1971. He was a freedom fighter and social reformer who started his political journey with the Congress Party in 1927. Gopalan left his first wife and later married Susheela Gopalan, a prominent Marxist and trade union activist. She also won three Lok Sabha elections. Both served as Lok Sabha MPs simultaneously between 1967 and 1970.
Satyendra Narayan Sinha and Kishori Sinha (1980-1989)
Kishori Sinha with S N Sinha & son Nikhil Kumar |
Former Bihar Chief Minister Satyendra Narayan Sinha, who won the 1952, 1957, 1971, 1977, 1980, and 1984 Lok Sabha elections from Bihar's Aurangabad seat, belonged to a wealthy family. He is known for his participation in the freedom struggle. Before assuming office as Chief Minister of Bihar in 1989, he and his wife Kishori Sinha had been Lok Sabha MPs since 1980. Kishori represented Vaishali seat twice between 1980-1989. Their son, Nikhil Kumar, is a former IPS officer-turned-politician. Nikhil served as the Governor of Nagaland (2009-2013) and Kerala (2013-2014).
Chaudhary Charan Singh and Gayatri Devi (1980-1984)
Former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh with his Wife Gayatri Devi (1970) | https://charansingh.org/
Former Prime Minister of India Charan Singh and his wife Gayatri Devi served together in the Lok Sabha from 1980 to 1984. Their son, Ajit Singh, founded the Rashtriya Lok Dal in 1996 and served as Union Minister in both UPA and NDA governments. Charan Singh's grandson, Jayant Chaudhary, is the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the current NDA government.
Madhu and Pramila Dandavate (1980-1984)
Professor Madhu Dandavate, who served as India's Railway and Finance Minister, was a five-time MP. In 1980, he and his wife, Pramila Dandavate, were elected from Maharashtra's Rajapur and Bombay North Central constituencies, respectively, on Janata Party tickets.
Pappu Yadav and Ranjeet Ranjan (2004-2009, 2014-2019)
Pappu Yadav and Ranjeet Ranjan File Image | PTI
Independent MP from Bihar's Purnia, Pappu Yadav, recently took oath as an MP for the sixth time. He and his wife Ranjeet Ranjan were members of the lower house of Parliament between 2004-2009 and 2014-2019. In 2004, Pappu Yadav won from Madhepura on an RJD ticket, while Ranjeet Ranjan secured victory from Saharsa on a Lok Jan Shakti Party ticket. In 2014, Pappu Yadav was re-elected from Madhepura, while Ranjeet Ranjan won the Supaul Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket.
