New Delhi: Elections are as much about perceptions and narrative as they are about strategies. And political parties are trying hard to build their own perception and narrative this election season. Last week, it was Akhilesh Yadav who set the narrative by inducting top OBC leaders into the party. Many of them were sitting MLAs and even three ministers including Swami Prasad Maurya.
The leaders challenged BJP and countered Yogi Adityanath’s 80 vs 20 with 85 vs 15.
This week however, it is the BjP setting narrative in Uttar Pradesh. The party has been able to create a political split in the Yadav family.
Ending days of speculation, Aparna Yadav who hails from Samajwadi parivar adorned the saffron shawl today. Aparna yadav is a chhoti bahu, younger Daughter in law of Samajwadi patriarch Mulayam Singh yadav. There were speculations earlier that she could join the BJP. Today, she officially joined BjP in presence of deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya & BJP State president Swatantra Dev Singh.
Aparna Yadav is the wife of Prateek Yadav, son of Mulayam Singh’s second wife Sadhana Gupta.
After joining BJP, she said, “I am very thankful to the BJP. The nation always comes first for me. I admire PM Modi’s work.”
While Aparna yadav joined BJP and the saffron party seemed all smiles as it scored one extra point from SP’s backyard, remember, how top leaders of BJP immediately tweeted asking the outgoing leaders to rethink? Samajwadi party on the other hand doesn’t seem much bothered about aparna yadav joining BJP. What could be the possible reason for that?
Who Is Aparna Yadav?
Aparna Yadav is the wife of Prateek Yadav, son of Mulayam Singh’s second wife Sadhna Gupta. Aparna’s father Arvind Singh Bisht was in a media company. He was also the Information Commissioner in the SP government. Arpana’s mother Ambi Bist is an officer in the Lucknow Municipal Corporation. Aparna did her schooling from Loreto Convent, Lucknow. It is said that she knew Prateek Yadav since her school days. In the year 2010, Arpana and Prateek got engaged and in December 2011, both got married. The entire wedding ceremony was organized in Mulayam Singh’s native village Saifai. Arpana and Prateek have a daughter. On the educational front, Aparna has studied politics. She holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Politics from Manchester University, UK.
Aparna Yadav affection for BJP
It is interesting to note that despite being in a Samajwadi family, Aparna yadav had always been close to Yogi Adityanath. She even considers CM Yogi as her elder brother. Both are residents of Uttarakhand. She had praised Yogi Adityanath on multiple occasions even before he became the Chief Minister of UP. Before 2017, she had also come to visit the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur. During this, she also met Yogi Adityanath. After Yogi Adityanath became CM, Arpana Yadav and Prateek Yadav met him as VVIP guests and congratulated him. Shortly after becoming CM, Yogi Adityanath along with Arpana Yadav and Prateek Yadav went to see Kanha Upvan in Lucknow where they had a long conversation on Gau seva.
There was speculation about Aparna Yadav joining the BJP even then, but in a conversation with reporters, Aparna Yadav had said then that I am not going anywhere. CM Yogi is an animal lover. That’s why she had invited him to see this Jeevashram. Arpana Yadav’s leniency towards BJP was also seen when she clicked a photo with PM Modi on his arrival at a family function. Even before the 2017 elections, she had praised PM Modi.
She had also donated 11 lakh 11 thousand for the Ram temple. Along with this, she had also shared a picture of hers with Dattatreya Hosabale when he became the Sarkaryavah of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Opposing Views On CAA-NRC
Aparna Yadav in the past had differed from the official stand of the Samajwadi Party and supported the National Register of Citizens Bill (NRC) and the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. Apart from these two issues, from time to time, she has been expressing her views openly on different subjects. Her opinion has been different from SP and the Akhilesh Yadav family.
Lucknow Elections
Well, but this is not the first time Aparna will be taking a political plunge. She had contested the 2017 assembly elections from the Lucknow cantt seat on Samajwadi Party ticket. She had secured around 63 thousand votes. But she lost to BJP’s Rita Bahuguna Joshi. However, this seat fell vacant after Rita Bahuguna Joshi became an MP in 2019. After that by-election was held on the seat but it was again BJP which won and Suresh Chand Tiwari became MLA for the fourth time.
This time around Rita Bahuguna is demanding a ticket for her son from this seat. She has also written to BJP Chief JP Nadda. Stating that since the party had decided to give one ticket to one family, she is ready to resign as MP but she wants a ticket for her son. But according to reports, there are more claimants for the seat. If sources are to be believed, BJP wants to change Aparna’s seat, but agrees to field her.
Now, this is being projected as a surgical strike on the Yadav family: the biggest political party in UP. Or as a rift in the Yadav family. Interestingly enough, Aparna yadav has not even won a single election. but her induction was conducted at BJP HQ in Delhi, whereas senior leaders from SP who have won elections in the past were being inducted in Lucknow office. That explains how important Aparna Yadav’s induction was for the BJP. As I said at the beginning to create a perception.
But the Samajwadi Party doesn’t seem too disturbed over this. One of the reasons according to reports is that both Akhilesh yadav’s family and aparna yadav’s family don’t share that good relations. In fact, in 2017 according to reports, akhilesh Yadav wasn’t too keen on contesting Aparnna Yadav from Lucknow cantt. You might remember in 2017 the internal disputes in the Yadav family overshadowed the elections and many believe this was one of the reasons why the party lost elections. So, Aparna yadav while she was in Samajwadi Party had taken stand opposite of the party and akhilesh yadav, causing embarrassment. So, her joining BJP could have been a sort of relief for the SP.
Now Secondly, The seat of Lucknow cantt is important. Many of the voters here are originally from Uttarakhand. Aparna yadav hails from Uttarakhand too. But even Rita Bahuguna Joshi hails from the hill state. In 2017, her son Mayank Joshi handled her campaign and has worked in the area, so she wants a ticket for her son. Now who will get a ticket here is something we have to look forward to.
But what is interesting here is a party that keeps on talking about opposition to parivarvad, dynasty politics, is denying ticket to Mayank joshi citing this reason but the same party has inducted Aparna Yadav who belongs to biggest political family of UP, possibly so that she can contest election on BJP ticket.
But this is politics and it is full of ironies.
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