Dimple, the rising star of the campaign

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav was only credited with a backroom role in forging the alliance with the Congress, but has now emerged as a key campaigner for the party.

The wife of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has been addressing several rallies, during which she has asked voters, women in particular, to give her husband another chance to lead the state. Dimple is articulate on the issues of law and order and women’s security — areas that have been the target of barbs from both the BJP and the BSP.

Dimple is the Lok Sabha MP from Kannauj. When Akhilesh defied his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav to stake claim over the SP, including the party’s cycle symbol — and eventually succeeded in averting a split, Dimple was said to be his chief strategist, who was also in talks with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra through aides.

The bonhomie between Dimple and Priyanka even led to posters of the two of them springing up in different parts of the state; they have also attended rallies together and  appealed for votes for the Congress-SP alliance. Some SP candidates in the constituencies that go to polls in the fourth phase on Thursday are now lobbying for a Dimple-Priyanka roadshow.

So far, Dimple has addressed over 15 public meetings covering the Assembly seats in Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Hardoi, Sitapur and Lakhimpur.  She was elected unopposed to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj in 2012 after her husband vacated the seat to become the chief minister.

Asked about Dimple’s support during the family feud, Akhilesh said in a Facebook interview, “Who else can you trust or believe in such difficult times? Only your wife can stand by you in such crisis.”