UP assembly elections 2022: Mulayam's brother-in-law joins BJP, claims Akhilesh torturing 'Netaji'
Uttar Pradesh Assembly election 2022: Pramod Gupta is the latest leader from the Samajwadi Party to join the BJP ahead of assembly election. On Wednesday, Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Aparna had joined the saffron party.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) received another jolt on Thursday when one of its leaders and the brother-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Pramod Gupta moved to the BJP camp at a ceremony in Lucknow, just weeks before the assembly elections begin in Uttar Pradesh.
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He had attacked SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, saying he has not been following the Samajwadi ideology, and has even imprisoned his father and party patriarch.
"SP is giving shelter to mafias and criminals and there is no point in staying in such a party. Akhilesh has imprisoned Mulayam Singh Yadav. Netaji (Mulayam Singh) and Shivpal were tortured by Akhilesh," Gupta said on Wednesday, adding that nobody is allowed to meet Mulayam.
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He further claimed that people who are abusing Mulayam are being promoted in the party by Akhilesh Yadav.
“People who believe in the Samajwadi ideology are being edged out, we are very unhappy,” he said at the press conference yesterday.
This comes a day after Mulayam’s daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav joined the BJP in the presence of deputy Uttar Pradesh chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh.
Aparna is the wife of Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger son Pratik. They got married in 2011. She is believed to have sought a ticket from Lucknow Cantt assembly seat, according to news agency ANI.
Aparna Yadav made her political debut in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections by contesting from Lucknow Cantt. However, she was defeated by BJP's Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
Elections to the 403 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, and March 3 and 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.