Aparna Yadav, daughter-in-law of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, joins BJP ahead of UP polls

New Delhi: In what is seen as a big blow to the Samajwadi Party (SP) ahead of upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Aparna Yadav, daughter-in-law of former state chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday (January 19, 2022).

Aparna Yadav joined the party in the presence of BJP State president Swatantra Dev Singh and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. 

भाजपा की जन कल्याणकारी नीतियों से प्रभावित होकर श्रीमती अपर्णा यादव ने पार्टी की सदस्यता ग्रहण की#सबका_साथ_सबका_विकास pic.twitter.com/4jh9wO9aqv — BJP Uttar Pradesh (@BJP4UP) January 19, 2022

"I am very thankful to BJP. The nation always comes first for me. I admire PM Modi's work," Aparna said.

"I have also been influenced with BJP's works and schemes including Swachh Bharat mission, the welfare of women, employment. I will work in my fullest capacity," she added. 

मेरे लिए राष्ट्र सबसे जरूरी है, इसीलिए मैं हमेशा से प्रधानमंत्री जी से प्रभावित रही हूं: श्रीमती @aparnabisht7#सबका_साथ_सबका_विकास pic.twitter.com/wej8UCWe2l — BJP Uttar Pradesh (@BJP4UP) January 19, 2022

Later, she also met BJP National President JP Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who have gathered in Delhi to finalize the names of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting.

Aparna Yadav to fight from Lucknow Cantt assembly seat?

According to the sources, Aparna Yadav has sought a ticket from the Lucknow Cantt assembly seat. 

However, speculation is also rife that BJP's Rita Bahuguna Joshi's son Mayank Joshi is trying hard to get the ticket to fight the assembly election from Lucknow Cantt, the seat his mother had won in the 2017 state polls but vacated in 2019 after she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Allahabad.

The BJP's Suresh Chandra Tiwari had then won the Lucknow Cantt seat in the bye-election of 2019, defeating Aparna Yadav.

Lucknow Cantt, notably, is one of the nine assembly constituencies in Lucknow district and has a sizeable chunk of Hindu Brahmin voters. Polling in Lucknow Cantt is scheduled on February 23 in the fourth phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh. 

It is noteworthy that elections to the 403 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases between February 10 and March 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

Akhilesh Yadav set to contest Assembly elections for first time?

Meanwhile, there are reports that SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav is all set to contest his first Assembly election. The Lok Sabha MP from Azamgarh, say party sources, will contest Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022.

When asked from where Akhilesh will contest, the source said that the party has not yet disclosed the seat.

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