Dimple Yadav: Beti, Bahu, Bhabhi... Star

If Akhilesh Yadav emerged from the conflict with his father and uncle as a newly decisive political figure, seen by supporters and opponents alike as formidable, his wife, Dimple, appears also to have come into her own.

- Ashish Misra

Like her husband, 39-year-old Dimple has until recently been seen as something of a political lightweight, a nice girl who was unprepared for the cut and thrust of Indian politics. In a draining assembly campaign, she has been unflagging, the Samajwadi Party’s most reliable performer, her husband apart. Once mocked for fumbling through speeches in Parliament, Dimple’s delivery has been a revelation, confident, funny, and unafraid to take opponents, including the prime minister, to task.