For the first time in Indian electoral history, five members from the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Yadav clan will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, his wife Dimple Yadav, cousins Dharmendra Yadav, Aditya Yadav, and Akshay Yadav represent the Yadav legacy in this high-stakes political contest.
Dimple Yadav, the wife of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, is the frontrunner in the Mainpuri constituency. With a dominant Yadav and Shakya population, Mainpuri has been a political stronghold for the Yadav family since the 1990s.
Dharmendra Yadav, initially chosen for the Badaun constituency, has shifted his focus to Azamgarh, where SP chief Akhilesh Yadav won in the 2019 elections. This Yadav-Muslim dominated constituency will witness a rematch between Dharmendra and BJP candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav “Nirahua.”
Aditya Yadav, the son of Shivpal Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s brother, debuts in the electoral arena from Badaun. The constituency’s significant Yadav and Muslim population favors Aditya’s chances of success.
Akshay Yadav, the son of Mulayam’s cousin Ram Gopal Yadav, faces a third consecutive battle in Firozabad. Akshay won in 2014 but lost in 2019 to BJP’s Chandra Sen Jadon. The seat has both Yadav and Thakur voters, adding to the contest’s complexity.
The Yadav family’s collective presence in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections signifies the continuation of its political legacy and the importance of family ties in Indian politics.