Know your leader profile: Smriti Irani- BJP

Date and place of birth: March 23, 1976, Delhi

Family history:

Smriti Irani was born in a Delhi-based Punjabi middle class family and his father used to run a small courier company. Smriti's mother is a Bengali and she is the eldest among three sisters.

In 1990s, she came to Mumbai to earn a big name for herself. In 1998, Femina Miss India beauty pageant, she was among the top finalists.

Then, after lot of struggle, Smriti landed some roles in TV serials and finally, the lead character of "Tulsi" in popular daily soap "Kyunki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi" made her a household name.

And the rest is history...

In 2001, she married her childhood friend Zubin Irani and is blessed with two sons- Zohr and Zoish.

Political career:

One of the most popular "bahu" of the Indian television and the BJP's national spokesperson Smriti Irani is all set for one of the most exciting contest against Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and AAP leader Kumar Vishwas in Amethi on May 7.

38-year-old Smriti joined BJP in 2003 and in a span of 11 years, she has established herself as a strong and a popular politician.

Smriti's dedication towards her political career can be seen in the fact that the party has chosen her for one of the toughest battlegrounds, Amethi, that shows party's confidence in her calibre.

She was appointed as the vice president of BJP's Maharashtra youth wing in 2004.

In 2004, she unsuccessfully contested against Congress senior leader and Union minister Kapil Sibal, from Chandni Chowk, Delhi and after ten years, she is all set to contest second time in Lok Sabha elections.

On June 24, 2010, she was appointed as All India President of the BJP Mahila Morcha.

In August 2011, she was sworn in as the Member of Parliament (MP) from Gujarat to the Rajya Sabha.

She is seen as a woman who strongly advocates about women empowerment and fight for their rights.

In 2013, Smriti had filed a complaint against Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam for using "derogatory and indecent language" during a television debate.