In politics, there have been many big leaders who became MPs themselves, and their wives also became MPs. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav are currently in Parliament. But before them, there were several other couples who made it to Parliament together. Some of these couples include Pappu Yadav and his wife Ranjana Yadav, former Chief Minister Satyendra Narayan Sinha and his wife Kishori Sinha, former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar Singh and his wife Manorama Singh, and A.K. Gopalan and Sushila Gopalan. Let’s take a look at some of these political couples who made it to Parliament together.
Akhilesh Yadav And Dimple Yadav: Uttar Pradesh’s First Political Couple In Parliament
Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav are the most talked-about political couple, as both are members of the 18th Lok Sabha. Akhilesh Yadav was elected from Kannauj, and Dimple Yadav was elected from Mainpuri. They became the first couple from Uttar Pradesh to reach Parliament together. Before this, Akhilesh and Dimple were also members of the 17th Lok Sabha, but they arrived at different times. After winning the 2022 assembly elections, Akhilesh Yadav resigned from his MP position, and after the death of Mulayam Singh, Dimple Yadav won the by-election from Mainpuri. In the 2019 elections, both Akhilesh and Dimple contested, but while Akhilesh won from Azamgarh, Dimple lost to BJP’s Subrata Pathak from Kannauj.
Pappu Yadav and Ranjita Ranjan: Bihar’s Power Couple In Politics
Pappu Yadav and Ranjita Ranjan Yadav are well-known names in Bihar politics. Pappu Yadav, whose love life has been quite famous, had a love marriage. In the 18th Lok Sabha, Pappu Yadav won as an independent MP from Purnia, Bihar, while his wife Ranjita Ranjan is currently a Rajya Sabha MP from Chhattisgarh. Pappu Yadav and Ranjita Ranjan have both been members of the Lok Sabha together in the past. This couple is special because they both reached the same house twice, each time winning from different political parties. In 2004, Pappu Yadav won the by-election from Madhubani, Bihar, on an RJD ticket, while his wife, Ranjita Ranjan, won from Saharsa on a LJP ticket. In 2014, the couple reached the Lok Sabha together again, but this time, they both joined different parties. Pappu Yadav won from Madhubani on an RJD ticket, and Ranjita Ranjan won from Supaul on a Congress ticket.
Chaudhary Charan Singh And Gayatri Devi
Chaudhary Charan Singh, former Prime Minister of India, and his wife Gayatri Devi are also part of the list of political couples. Chaudhary Charan Singh won the Lok Sabha elections three times. In 1980, he won the Baghpat seat in Uttar Pradesh, while his wife Gayatri Devi also won the election from the Kairana seat and reached the Lok Sabha. Both husband and wife were members of the 7th Lok Sabha from 1980 to 1984.
Madhu Dandvate And Pramila Dandvate
Professor Madhu Dandvate and his wife Pramila Dandvate, from a Marathi family, are also part of this list. Professor Madhu Dandvate served as India’s Railway Minister and Finance Minister. He was elected as a Member of Parliament five times from 1971 to 1991. In the 1980 Lok Sabha elections, he won the Rajapur seat in Maharashtra on a Janata Party ticket. His wife, Pramila Dandvate, also won the election from the Bombay North Central seat on a Janata Party ticket and became a Member of Parliament.
Satyendra Narayan Sinha And Kishori Sinha
Satyendra Narayan Sinha and his wife Kishori Sinha, who were connected to the royal family of Aurangabad in Bihar, both won the Lok Sabha elections together twice and entered Parliament. Satyendra Narayan Sinha came from a royal family in Aurangabad district, Bihar, and was also known as “Chhote Babu.” He first contested elections in 1952. He won the Lok Sabha elections six times, while his wife Kishori Sinha was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Vaishali constituency. In 1980 and 1989, they both served as Members of Parliament together. In 1980, they were elected from the Indian National Congress (Indira), and in 1989, they won elections as part of the Janata Party.
A.K. Gopalan and Sushila Gopalan
For the first time in the history of the Indian Parliament, a couple from Kerala was elected together as Members of Parliament. A.K. Gopalan Nambiar, known as AKG, was a freedom fighter and the first Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. In the 4th Lok Sabha (1967-1971), A.K. Gopalan and his wife Sushila Gopalan both won and entered Parliament together. They were both elected from the CPI(M) party. A.K. Gopalan was continuously elected as a Member of Parliament from Palakkad (Kerala) from 1952 to 1977. His wife, Sushila Gopalan, was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1967 from Chirayinkil (Kerala). Sushila was a prominent Marxist and trade unionist. Both of them were elected as MPs on the CPI(M) ticket.
Dharmendra and Hema Malini
Dharmendra and Hema Malini also reached Parliament, but in different houses
Apart from others, Bollywood’s famous actor Dharmendra Yadav and his wife Hema Malini also served as Members of Parliament, but in different houses. Dharmendra was elected as an MP from Bikaner, Rajasthan in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. On the other hand, Hema Malini, who is the current MP from Mathura, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2003. Hema Malini, born on October 16, 1948, in Ammankudi (now in Tamil Nadu), has performed well both in Bollywood and politics. After achieving success in films, she married actor Dharmendra in 1981.
