'Has MSY Given His Blessings to Aparna for Joining BJP?' Media Asks Akhilesh. She Responds with Photo

Mulayam Singh Yadav’s daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav on Friday sought blessings of the Samajwadi Party patriarch, two days after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had earlier said that his father had tried hard to dissuade Aparna from switching sides.

Akhilesh’s response came after reporters asked him if Mulayam Singh Yadav had given his blessings to Aparna Yadav for joining the BJP. Aparna Yadav is married to Prateek Yadav, the son of Mulayam’s second wife, while Akhilesh Yadav is his son from the first marriage.

She joined the BJP in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and the party’s state chief Swatantra Dev Singh. A day after Aparna switched sides, Mulayam’s brother-in-law and former party MLA Pramod Gupta also umped ship to the saffron camp.

Expressing her admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Aparna Yadav had said the nation’s interest has always been a priority for her and praised several schemes of the BJP government for cleanliness, women empowerment and employment.

There had been much speculation about her joining the BJP, and the development highlights the rift in the SP’s ruling family at a time Akhilesh Yadav has been working to rally the party’s base in the run-up to the state assembly polls beginning next month.

Speaking about the recent defections to SP and from different parties, Akhilesh Yadav said, “The SP is connected with people who have a wide support base among people. Today as per the requirement and under the political circumstances, no one can compete with the Samajwadi Party. The people of UP want a change and they are standing with us,” he added.

The BJP has been inducting leaders from various parties in all five poll-bound states, including Goa, Punjab and Manipur, as it seeks to retain power in four states and put up an impressive show in Congress-ruled Punjab. With Uttar Pradesh being the politically most crucial state, the BJP has been pulling out all the stops to strengthen its ranks after a number of its leaders, including ministers in the state government, recently joined Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party. The ruling party has worked to get back at the rival by inducting a few of its leaders, including MLAs, into its fold.

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