Though he was born into a premier political family of Uttar Pradesh, it was not with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth.
Akhilesh Yadav, born on July 1, 1973 in Sefai in Etawah district, is the eldest son of former UP chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. Despite belonging to a political family, his childhood was as normal as anyone else living in a joint family in rural India.
He was sent for schooling to the Military School in Dholpur in Rajasthan and then for higher education to the University of Mysore.
Later, he went to Australia for his masters degree in environmental engineering at the University of Sydney.
In 2000, he contested his first byelection from Kannauj and became member of Parliament at the age of 27. Thereafter, he won again in 2004 and 2009 with a comfortable margin.
In June 2009, Mr Akhilesh Yadav was appointed state president of the Samajwadi Party and it was then that he gradually started changing the image of his party that, till then, was known for its rustic approach and rugged behaviour.
He slowly inducted young blood into the party, made it tech-savvy and, along side, took care not to ruffle any feathers. From a party that opposed use of computers in 2009, he turned it into a party that promised laptops and tablets to students in 2012.
Akhilesh, also an avid football player, is extremely computer-savvy and remains connected with people on his BlackBerry. He is also active on Facebook and Twitter.
His amiable nature and congenial behaviour endeared him to party cadres that instantly accepted his authority and leadership.
In September 2011, Akhilesh embarked on his Kranti Rath yatra that not only galvanised party cadres, but also helped him establish a rapport with the public.
He travelled about 10,000 km and held 800 rallies in UP over the last six months that ultimately helped the party get a comfortable majority in the Assembly elections.
Though soft-spoken, Akhilesh is known to be a stickler for his principles. He stood up against veterans like Azam Khan when it came to refusing entry to criminals like D.P. Yadav and had his way in selection of candidates.
Even after winning the elections for his party, Akhilesh continues to work hard to clear the perception that his party harbours anti-social elements.
Married to Dimple Yadav, he has three children — Aditi, Tina and Arjun — and is known to spend quality time with the family whenever he takes leave from politics.