Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son Prateek Yadav and daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath at his current residence, a VVIP guesthouse, in Lucknow on Friday. While the meeting is being seen as a “courtesy call”, it has also triggered speculation over the couple changing loyalties.
Aparna Yadav had lost the Lucknow Cantonment seat to Adityanath’s Bharatiya Janata Party colleague Rita Bahugana Joshi in the Assembly elections.
In October 2016, the couple had taken a selfie with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a family event. “What’s wrong with that? He is everyone’s PM,” Aparna Yadav had said after questions were raised about her political leanings and the photograph, according to NDTV.
The rift within the Samajwadi Party and the Yadav family in the run-up to the elections had also added to doubts about the couple’s political plans.
The BJP’s landslide victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections has the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance trailing in the state. The saffron party won 325 seats with its allies in the 403-member Assembly. The Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance won from only 54 constituencies.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!