SP to face major blow as another Mulayam Singh Yadav's family member to join BJP: Sources

In what can be termed as yet another major blow for SP, another member of the Yadav family will reportedly join the BJP following Aparna Yadav ahead of the UP elections. Sources informed on Wednesday that SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother-in-law and former SP MLA Pramod Kumar Gupta from Vidhuna assembly will join the BJP on Thursday. This comes after Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav joined BJP on Wednesday in the presence of UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya. 

Aparna Yadav says she is inspired by PM Modi's vision

In an exclusive conversation with Republic TV, Aparna Yadav said, "I am very thankful to the BJP. I have always been influenced by BJP's schemes and its nationalist ideas and will strive to work for the welfare of India." While asserting that PM Modi's leadership and developmental work have been unprecedented, Yadav vouched for BJP's victory and 'Ram Rajya' in Uttar Pradesh. Further, upon being asked about her association with BJP instead of her kin's SP, Yadav hinted at different nationalist ideas of the Akhilesh Yadav-led party that do not align with hers.

"I am inspired by BJP's developmental work and our Prime Minister's vision. I will work towards nationhood and women empowerment," Aparna Yadav added.

UP elections

In the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, BJP had won a whopping 312 seats in the 403-member House, whereas BSP could win only 19 seats. On the other hand, the SP-Congress alliance failed to bear fruit as it could win in only 54 constituencies. While this was seen as a mandate for PM Modi as BJP had not declared any CM candidate, Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath was a surprise pick for the post. Though some BJP leaders made conflicting statements over Adityanath's future as the Chief Minister, PM Modi put rest to all speculations by lauding UP's governance model during his successive visits to the state.

For the past several months, Akhilesh Yadav has embarked on a statewide tour as a part of his "Samajwadi Vijay Yatra" in a bid to stage a comeback in the state. Buoyed by the overwhelming public support during his election campaign, he has often predicted that SP will win 400 seats in the 2022 Assembly polls. While the ex-UP CM has ruled out any alliance with Congress and BSP, he has announced a tie-up with PSP(L), Mahan Dal, OP Rajbhar's SBSP, RLD and the Apna Dal faction of Krishna Patel. The UP election will take place in 7 phases beginning February 10 whereas the results will be declared on March 10.