Who is Aparna Yadav: Mulayam’s 'chhoti bahu' amid son Prateek’s 'family destroyer' charge

Aparna Yadav with father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav (File image)

• Prateek Yadav announced plans to divorce Aparna Yadav, citing family issues
• Aparna Yadav is BJP vice chair of UP State Commission for Women since Sep 2024.
• No official response yet from Samajwadi Party or BJP on the public dispute

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The spotlight on Aparna Yadav intensified after her husband, Mulayam Singh Yadav's son  Prateek Yadav, announced on social media that he would seek a divorce.

Prateek, the son of Mulayam Singh Yadav from his second wife Sadhna Yadav, shared a strongly worded post on Instagram, accusing Aparna of damaging family relationships and being driven by personal ambition.

“I am going to divorce this selfish woman as soon as possible. She ruined my family ties. All she wants to do is become famous and influential,” he wrote. In the same post, he referred to his own condition, saying, “Right now, I am (in) a very bad mental health condition, and she doesn’t bother.”

He went further, adding, “That’s because it’s only herself she bothers about. I have never seen such a bad soul, and I was unfortunate to get married to her.” The couple married in 2012 and have a daughter.

Who is Aparna Yadav?

Aparna Yadav, often referred to as the “chhoti bahu” of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, has carved out a public identity that blends politics, social work, and culture.

Born in what is now Uttarakhand, she grew up in Lucknow and completed her schooling there before moving abroad for higher studies.

She holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Politics from the University of Manchester.

Alongside academics, Aparna has trained in classical and semi-classical music at the Bhatkhande Music Institute, reflecting her long-standing engagement with the arts. An animal lover, she runs an NGO called B Aware, which works for animal welfare, and she has also been associated with initiatives related to women’s safety and crimes against women.

Her formal political journey began with the Samajwadi Party. She first entered the electoral arena in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, contesting from the Lucknow Cantonment constituency. Despite an energetic campaign, she did not win the seat.

Over time, her political positions and public remarks increasingly differed from the party leadership. She openly praised development policies linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, citing ideological alignment. In January 2022, she formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying she believed the platform offered better scope to work on national development and women’s empowerment.

Since then, Aparna Yadav has been an outspoken critic of the Samajwadi Party. She currently serves as vice chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Women, a position she assumed in September 2024.

Who is Prateek Yadav?

Prateek Yadav is the stepbrother of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and current Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav. He has stayed away from frontline politics and reportedly works in real estate and fitness.

Following the Instagram post, PTI reported that attempts to reach Aparna Yadav for her response were unsuccessful, and people close to her declined to comment on the allegations.

So far, neither the Samajwadi Party nor the BJP has issued an official reaction to the matter. As the personal dispute plays out publicly, it has added another layer of tension to an already complex political family, placing Aparna Yadav’s personal life alongside her evolving political journey in the public gaze.