Mulayam Singh's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav joins BJP

Tribune News Service

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, January 19

Mulayam Singh Yadav’s daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav on Wednesday joined the BJP.

Aparna joined the party in the presence of UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and state chief Swatantra Dev Singh.

Married to Prateek Yadav, son of Mulayam Yadav’s second wife, Aparna praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies.

Maurya took a dig at Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav saying he could not keep even his family together.

Welcoming her, Maurya said that despite being Mulayam Singh's daughter-in-law she had been supporting PM Modi's policies. 

Her entry would help the BJP gain stature and reach, Swatantra Dev said.

Aparna said she had always been impressed by Modi and that the nation's interest had always been her priority.

Akhilesh Yadav is Mulayam’s son from the first marriage.

Whether Aparna's joining the BJP will affect the traditional vote bank, OBC Yadavs, remains to be seen, but it is an embarrassment for Akhilesh.

The development highlights the rift in the SP at a time when Akhilesh is working to build up base and support ahead of the key polls.

The BJP is expected to field her from Lucknow Cantt, sources said.

Aparna had contested the 2017 assembly polls on an SP ticket from Lucknow Cantt but had lost to BJP's Rita Bahuguna Joshi, now a Lok Sabha member from Prayagraj.

Her father Arvind Singh Bisht is a journalist and is the current state information commissioner of UP and mother Ambi Bisht is an official of Lucknow Municipal Corporation.

Earlier, Aparna had expressed her support to the National Register of Citizens contrary to the stand of the Samajwadi Party and also supported the abrogation of Article 370.

Glad Samajwadi ideology is spreading, says Akhilesh

Responding to questions about his sister-in-law joining the BJP, Akhilesh Yadav congratulated here and extended his best wishes.

"I am glad the Samajwadi ideology is expanding," Yadav said, adding that 'Netaji' (Mulayam Singh) had tried to talk to her. 

He said that to contest from Azamgarh he would have to take the permission of the people there.

"If people of Azamgarh want I will contest from there," he said.

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