File photo of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav joined the BJP on Wednesday as the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls inched closer.
She has a Masters degree in International Relations and Politics from Manchester University as well as a degree in singing from Lucknow’s Bhatkhande Music Institute. She has performed at musical events including at Mulayam’s own Saifai Mahotsav and Lucknow Mahotsav. Aparna’s father Arvind Singh Bisht, a former journalist, is an information commissioner.
The outspoken younger daughter-in-law, who identifies herself as a social worker and is brand ambassador of NGO Harsh, first appearance at a Samajwadi Party function was in October 2014, when she sat alongside her husband Prateek Yadav during the party’s national convention in Lucknow.
At the event, Prateek’s uncle Shivpal Yadav refused to talk about Aparna’s activism or political future, if any. “Social service requires more of Aparna Yadav than politics,” Aparna had said. “I believe social services don’t need any political platform to grow. Love and acceptance for my work is constantly growing in the society, and I have a feeling that one day people will elect me, their leader, out of love.”
Best of Express Premium
In the past, Aparna has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Swachch Bharat Abhiyan, shared a selfie with Modi on social media, and posted against cow slaughter. She had also opposed Aamir Khan for his comments on intolerance at a time when Mulayam has expressed his support to the actor. In November 2014, she and her husband Prateek Yadav gave Mulayam’s grand and controversial birthday celebrations in Rampur a miss, flying off instead to Dubai.
In September 2015, Aparna went to Gorakhnath temple to meet Yogi Adityanath after the death of Mahant Awaidhtnath. “The ideas and criticism on social media sites are my personal views. I always write what is on my mind… Passion is something related to the heart, not the mind, and I follow my heart,” Aparna had told The Indian Express.
In 2017, Aparna contested her first election in as the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance candidate from the Lucknow Cantonment constituency, considered a BJP strongholf. She lost to BJP candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi by a margin of 33,796 votes.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
