Married to Akhilesh Yadav’s brother, who joined the BJP today, dealt a blow to the Samajwadi party just weeks before Uttar Pradesh elections.
Aparna Yadav is the wife of Pratik Yadav, brother of Akhilesh Yadav, the youngest son of Samajwadi party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. BJP leaders welcomed her to the party, calling her “Mulayam Singh’s bahu (daughter-in-law)”.

“I’ve always been inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” said Aparna Yadav, wearing a BJP scarf.

“I now want to try to do better for the country. I have always been impressed with the BJP’s plans and I will do my best within the party,” she declared. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya was at her side and turned his camera on Akhilesh Yadav.

“I want to welcome her and say that Akhilesh Yadav was unsuccessful both family and politics,” Mr Maurya sneered.

After days of discussions, Aparna Yadav decided to join the BJP, he said. It’s a season of UP crossovers, with voting in seven stages from Feb. 10, with the election seen as a semi-final ahead of national polls in 2024.

It is a major acquisition for the BJP as many of its backward caste leaders, including three state ministers, have recently joined the Samawady party, undermining its caste calculation and optics.

Aparna Yadav ran in Lucknow Cantt’s 2017 UP election as a Samajwadi candidate, but lost to Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who had quit Congress before joining the BJP.

The 32-year-old runs an organisation – bAware – that works on women’s issues and is also a cow sanctuary in Lucknow. In the past, she has been in the news for her warm praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Complete News Source : NDTV