New Delhi: After his sister-in-law Aparna Yadav joined the BJP on Wednesday, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said he hoped that she "carries our ideology to the BJP".


Responding to Aparna Yadav joining the BJP, Akhilesh Yadav said he would like to congratulate her and extend her his best wishes.


Addressing a press conference, Akhilesh Yadav said, "Firstly, I will congratulate her and I am happy that Samajwadi Party's ideology is expanding."






Aparna Yadav is married to Prateek Yadav, son of Mulayam Singh Yadav's second wife. Akhilesh Yadav is his son from the first marriage.


However, Akhilesh Yadav said Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav tried hard to convince his daughter-in-law to not join the BJP.


"Netaji (former UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav) tried to convince her," the SP chief said, hinting that Aparna Yadav resigned because she had been denied a seat in the election.


Asked whether Aparna joined the BJP because she was denied an SP ticket, Akhilesh said, "We have not yet given all tickets. The decision on tickets depends on our internal survey."


Aparna Yadav contested the Lucknow Cantt seat in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. She was defeated by BJP candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi by 33,796 votes.


On Wednesday, Aparna Yadav joined the BJP in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and its state chief Swatantra Dev Singh.


Hitting out at Akhilesh Yadav, Maurya said he had not been successful in his family and was also "unsuccessful" as chief minister and MP.


UP assembly election 2022 will be held in seven phases to elect 403 MLAs. Votes will be counted on March 10.


UP Assembly Election 2022 — Polling Date, Schedule & Counting Day


The schedule for the 2022 UP Assembly Election is mentioned below with dates listed for the polls and counting of votes, according to ECI. The election will be conducted in seven phases.



  • 1st Phase: Feb 10

  • 2nd Phase: Feb 14

  • 3rd Phase: Feb 20

  • 4th Phase: Feb 23

  • 5th Phase: Feb 27

  • 6th Phase: March 3

  • 7th Phase: March 7

  • Counting Day: March 10


(With inputs from ANI)