Lucknow: In a major churn ahead of UP assembly polls, the daughter-in-law of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, 19 January.This development comes as a big jolt to Samajwadi Party’s founder, and leader Mulayam Singh as one of their family members has joined the hands with its biggest rival in the state, at a time when party national convenor Akhilesh Yadav has been rallying up in the state togain votes after it got miserably got failed in 2017 elections.“I am very thankful to BJP. The nation always comes first for me. I admire PM Modi's work and the various schemes of the BJP,” Aparna Yadav said at her induction ceremony, where UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP president JP Nadda, as well as other senior party leaders were also present.“Akhilesh Yadav is unsuccessful in his family, he was also unsuccessful as a chief minister,”Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya said at the joining on Tuesday.Here’s What Aparna Yadav Said After Joining the BJPOn being asked if she would contest the upcoming Assembly polls from the Lucknow Cantt seat, Yadav told ANI: Whatever they (BJP) will say, I will do it.Earlier in 2017, Aparna Yadav had contested in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from the Lucknow Cantt seat, and had lost to BJP candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi. Apart from politics, she runs a cow shelter in Lucknow and also directs 'B Aware' foundation, which works for women's issues.Also, her induction comes days after the Samajwadi Party had welcomed 11 leaders including 3 Cabinet ministers from the saffron party.The assembly elections in the most populous state will be held in seven phases beginning from February 10, in which the parties will be seen contesting for 403 seats.(With Inputs From Agencies)
