Vote for the hottest women politicians!

Move aside Hollywood and Bollywood. Even politicians can give the most glamorous among you a run for your money. They are not just about beauty and brawn, but grey matter; they don't just worry about being in shape, but shape the future of the country/state/district they represent.

Rediff.com brings to you the hottest women politicians around today. Take the poll at the end of the feature, because we'll be determining the winner in a week's time based on your votes and the results will be published right here! 

Sarah Palin

Nationality: American

Who is she: Sarah Palin was the youngest and the first woman elected Governor of Alaska. She was chosen by Republican Party presidential candidate John McCain in August 2008 to be his running mate in the presidential elections. She resigned from the Governor's post in 2009, 18 months before the completion of her term.

Recently in the news for: Registering her support to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's decision to fight the federal government in court over Arizona's new, controversial immigration law, she said President Barack Obama did not have the 'cojones' to secure the nation's borders and fix its immigration system.

In November 2009, her autobiography Going Rogue: An American Life was released. It sold over two million copies. She is now authoring a second book, America by Heart, which is expected to be on shelves by November 23, 2010.

Nationality: Italian

Who is she: University, Space and Research minister in Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Cabinet since 2008. Originally a lawyer specialising in administrative law.

Recently in the news for: A controversial university reform bill she introduced was recently passed by the Italian Senate. The bill has among other things, new rules for the recruitment of teachers, temporary contracts and Test of English for researchers and 'establishing a fund for deserving students and teachers. The bill 'eliminates waste and privileges, examines the governance of universities and opens its doors to young people. The bill is aimed at reforming academia and reducing bureaucracy by focusing on merit. Some sections of academia are protesting some of the provisions of the bill.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt

Nationality: Danish

Who is she: She is leader of the Danish Social Democracy party, a fast-growing opposition party. She was a member of the Employment and Social Committee and the Constitutional Committee of the European Parliament (directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union). She co-founded the Campaign for Parliament Reform.

Recently in the news for: One-in-four Danish people support the Social Democrats, according to a poll. The next parliamentary election are scheduled for November 2011. Helle, being the SD party chief, is the natural choice for prime minister's post. However, she was embroiled in controversy after  she provided contradictory information to government authorities about her husband's residence status. She simply termed it a 'sloppy mistake'.

Nikki Haley

Nationality: American

Who is she: Born Nimrata Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina, Nikki was the last candidate to join the Republican race for South Carolina governor. A year later, the Indian-American state Congresswoman has won the primary and is -- barring a disaster -- almost certain to win the governor's race in November. If Haley -- who was born to Sikh parents -- wins the November election, she will be the first lady governor, and first politician from a minority community to head the government in South Carolina, a conservative American state.

Recently in the news for: Nikki recently made it to the cover of Newsweek with a story on her transformation from 'obscure state representative' to front runner in South Carolina governor's race. The magazine recounts how an 'earthy, attractive, articulate' and the Republican Party's 'newest star in a fast-changing South', Haley 'proceeded to dispatch a US Congressman, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Attorney General in the Republican primary and runoff'.

Nationality: Indian

Who is she: Priyanka Vadra is the second of two children of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. She and her brother Rahul infused fresh blood into the Congress party and have been working overtime to project the party and its objectives in the remotest parts of the country. However, she has time and again reiterated that 'it is not politics but people that have been a strong pull and that she could do things for them without being in politics'.

Recently in the news for: It has been reported among a section of the media that Priyanka could become the new brand ambassador of the central adult literacy programme called Sakshar Bharat.

Nationality: American

Who is she: Jennifer M Granholm is the Governor of the US state of Michigan. A fiscal hawk, she has successfully resolved more than $6 billion in budget deficits since taking office in 2003, trimming more from state government than any governor in Michigan's history. Her aggressive energy efficiency programme, for instance, has cut the state's energy costs by almost 20 percent, saving taxpayers more than $20 million.

Recently in the news for: According to Politico, Granholm has earned a national profile as an ally of the White House and a successful veteran of the Washington talk show circuit. Off late though, the tide seems to have changed for Gronholm. The second-term Democrat's popularity has been sinking, tied to her state's 13 per cent unemployment rate and $1.3 billion budget shortfall.

Nationality: Canadian

Who is she: A former Miss India-Canada runner-up, Dhalla is a trained chiropractic practitioner and Indian-origin member of Parliament from Brampton, Canada. Maxim magazine featured her as one of the world's sexiest politicians.

Recently in the news for: Ruby met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in June when the latter was in Toronto for the G-20 summit. During the meeting, she addressed a number of concerns important to her constituents of Brampton-Springdale, including opportunities for strengthening and mobilising trade between Canada and India especially in the areas of education and health care, and between small and medium sized businesses.

Nationality: Croatian

Who is she: A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Srbljanovic was LDP's candidate for mayor of Belgrade in the Serbian local elections in 2008. Srbljanovic is related to Radovan Karadic, wartime political leader of Bosnian Serbs, currently on trial accused of complicity in war crimes by the international tribunal at The Hague.

Has been in the news for: Biljana is an outspoken figure and as such very prominent in Serbian public life. She is known for frequently speaking up on various political topics, as well as for railing against what she views to be "the irresponsibility of the political elite in Serbia", "Serbian violent nationalism" and "the culture of violence and exclusion in Serbian daily life". 

Nationality: Filipino

Who is she: She is the youngest woman elected in the history of the Philippine Senate. A lawyer, triathlete and mother of two, Senator Pia Cayetano is constantly proving there's no limit to what Filipino women can set out to do and achieve. Pia has been responsible for sponsoring and authoring laws and bills such as the 'Magna Carta of Women', which aims to end all forms of gender discrimination; 'Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009', which seeks to reconstitute the Bureau of Food and Drugs into the FDA and strengthen its capacity to go after counterfeit medicines and other violative health products; and 'Renewable Energy Act of 2008', which promotes the development, utilisation, and commercialisation of renewable energy sources in the Philippines.

Has been in the news for: She recently opened a campaign against tax evaders. She approached the Bureau of Internal Revenue to go after big-time tax evaders instead of picking on pedicab and tricycle drivers, small storeowners and market vendors. She asked why those toiling in the informal sector, who account for one third of the country's 38-million labour force, should have to carry the burden of plugging the budget deficit.

Nationality: Danish

Who is she: Frederiksen has been a member of Folketing -- parliament of Denmark -- since 2001 and a Danish Social Democrat politician

Has been in the news for: In May 2010, it was revealed that Frederiksen's daughter was being educated at a private school. Frederiksen was accused of hypocrisy by the Danish press as her party had long seen the promotion of public education as a key policy. In 2005, Frederiksen had openly criticised parents who sent their children to private schools. In her response, Frederiksen said that her opinion on private education had become more nuanced since her remarks 2005 and that it would have been hypocritical of her to put her own political career ahead of her daughter's best interest.

Yulia Tymoshenko

Nationality: Ukranian

Who is she: Tymoshenko was Ukraine's prime Minister from January 24 to September 8, 2005, and again from December 18, 2007 to March 4, 2010, when she was dismissed from the post by the Verkhovna Rada -- Ukraine's parliament. Currently, she heads the All-Ukrainian Union 'Fatherland' party and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc.

Recently in the news for: She has been criticising the new government of Viktor Yanukovych over the growing Russian influence in Kiev. "Today we are witnessing a gradual step-by-step absorption of Ukraine and in my opinion this may be followed by more risky consequences for Ukraine, affecting its political sovereignty," RIA Novosti quoted her as saying. Tymoshenko as prime minister from 2007 to 2010 sparred with Moscow over gas contracts.

Rachida Dati

Nationality: French

Who is she: Dati is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament, representing ile-de-France. Before her election, she held the cabinet post of Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice. She was a spokesperson for Nicolas Sarkozy during the 2007 french presidential election. After his victory, Sarkozy appointed her to his government as justice minister on May 18 2007.

Was in the news for: Dati gave birth to a baby girl, Zohra, on January 2, 2009. She courted controversy by returning to work at a cabinet meeting the following Wednesday, just 5 days after Zohra's birth. She has refused to make public the identity of the father.

So which of these women politicians do you think is the hottest? Take this poll and let us know!