Akhilesh Yadav (born 1 July 1973) is an Indian politician and national president of the Samajwadi Party (SP). He was Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 2012 to 2017 and, at 38, the youngest person ever to hold the office. The son of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, he led his party to its best-ever Lok Sabha result in 2024, making it the third-largest party in Parliament.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Born | 1 July 1973, Saifai, Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Age | 53 |
| Party | Samajwadi Party (national president since 2017) |
| Office held | Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (2012–2017) |
| Constituency | Kannauj (Lok Sabha) |
| Education | BE in Civil Engineering; Master’s in Environmental Engineering, University of Sydney |
| Father | Mulayam Singh Yadav |
| Spouse | Dimple Yadav (m. 1999) |
| Children | Aditi, Tina, Arjun |
Early Life and Education
Akhilesh was born in the village of Saifai in Uttar Pradesh. His father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, was a wrestler-turned-politician who founded the Samajwadi Party and served as Chief Minister and Defence Minister. Akhilesh studied at Dholpur Military School in Rajasthan and earned a civil engineering degree in Mysuru. He then completed a master’s degree in environmental engineering at the University of Sydney.
Political Career
Akhilesh entered Parliament from Kannauj in a 2000 by-election. In the 2012 Uttar Pradesh election he led a cycle-yatra campaign across the state, and the SP won an outright majority. At 38 he became the youngest Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. His government built the Agra–Lucknow Expressway and the Lucknow Metro and ran a free laptop scheme for students.
In 2016–17 a bitter feud within the Yadav family, involving his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, split the party. In January 2017 Akhilesh took over as SP national president. The party lost the 2017 state election to the BJP.
In 2022 the SP more than doubled its Assembly tally, and Akhilesh became Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly. After his father’s death in October 2022 he consolidated his hold on the party. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, allied with the Congress and campaigning on a “PDA” (backward classes, Dalits and minorities) platform, the SP won 37 of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 seats. Akhilesh won Kannauj and moved to national politics. He remains a leading opposition voice ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh election.
Personal Life
Akhilesh married Dimple Yadav in 1999. She is a Member of Parliament from Mainpuri. The couple have three children: Aditi, Tina and Arjun.
Key Offices Held
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Akhilesh Yadav born?
Akhilesh Yadav was born on 1 July 1973 in Saifai, Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, India.
