UP polls 2022: Aparna Yadav meets Mulayam Singh after joining BJP, takes blessings; see picture here

Aparna Yadav met Samajwadi Party founder and her father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday, 21 January, to seek his blessings. The move comes just days after Yadav joined the BJP ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls. Yadav posted a photo of her meeting with Mulayam Singh Yadav in Lucknow on social media and wrote that she “took the blessings of my father/Netaji in Lucknow after taking membership of the Bharatiya Janta Party.” Check the photo here:

भारतीय जनता पार्टी की सदस्यता लेने के पश्चात लखनऊ आने पर पिताजी/नेताजी से आशीर्वाद लिया। pic.twitter.com/AZrQvKW55U

— Aparna Bisht Yadav (@aparnabisht7) January 21, 2022

Yadav had caused a stir in the political arena after she joined the BJP recently. She had earlier contested in the 2017 assembly elections on an SP ticket but lost to Rita Bahuguna. According to Hindustan Times, Yadav is hoping to contest from Lucknow Cantt this time, where BJP MLA Rita Bahuguna wants her son to be fielded. Yadav is the wife of Prateek Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son from his second marriage. SP leader Akhilesh Yadav is Mulayam Singh’s son from his first marriage. According to NDTV, Akhilesh Yadav stated that Mulayam Singh Yadav had tried to stop Aparna Yadav from joining the BJP. He also implied that Yadav was miffed at not being chosen as a candidate by the Samajwadi Party for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Akhilesh Yadav even thanked the BJP for reducing the number of dynasts in the Samajwadi Party, according to NDTV. The upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh have seen a lot of political leaders crossing over to rival parties. Recently, Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister resigned from the BJP to join the SP. Furthermore, MLAs  Brijesh Prajapati and Roshan Lal Varma also stated that they were resigning from the BJP. The polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases from 10 February. The counting of polls for all phases is scheduled for 10 March. The state will see several parties including the BJP, Bahujan Samaj Party, SP and Congress vying for the post of Chief Minister.