UP polls: Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav joins BJP

New Delhi, Jan 19: Aparna Yadav, daughter-in-law of former state chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya & BJP State president Swatantra Dev Singh on Wednesday.

She is married to Prateek Yadav, son of Mulayam Singh Yadav's second wife while SP president Akhilesh Yadav is his son from the first marriage.

Aparna Yadav said she has always been impressed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and added that the nation's interest has always been her priority.

There had been much speculation about her joining the BJP, and the development highlights the rift in the SP's ruling family at a time when Akhilesh Yadav has been working to rally the party's base in the run up to the state assembly polls.

The BJP may field her in the polls, sources said. Aparna Yadav had contested the 2017 assembly polls on the Samajwadi Party ticket from Lucknow Cantt but had lost to BJP's Rita Bahuguna Joshi, now a Lok Sabha member. Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases beginning from February 10.

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 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.