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The public declaration has triggered political, personal and family-level speculation, bringing Yadav family back into the spotlight for reasons far removed from electoral politics
Prateek Yadav (left) and Aparna Yadav (right). (Image: PTI)
In a dramatic and emotionally charged social media post, Prateek Yadav, the younger son of late Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, announced on Monday that he would soon be divorcing his wife, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Uttar Pradesh State Women’s Commission vice-chairperson Aparna Yadav.
The public declaration has triggered political, personal and family-level speculation, bringing the powerful Yadav family back into the spotlight for reasons far removed from electoral politics.
In an Instagram post that has since gone viral, Prateek accused Aparna of destroying his family relationships and being driven solely by ambition and the pursuit of power and influence. Calling her “selfish” and a “bad soul”, Prateek said his mental condition was “very bad” and alleged that Aparna showed no concern for him, caring only about herself. “It was my misfortune to marry her,” he wrote, signalling an irreparable breakdown of their 14-year-long marriage.
Aparna Yadav, currently associated with the BJP and holding a constitutional post, has not responded publicly so far. At the time the post surfaced, Aparna was in Chennai, while Prateek was reportedly abroad. Neither of them was present in Lucknow, where the couple has been residing on Vikramaditya Marg.
Cracks since 2022
According to family sources, the divorce announcement may appear sudden, but the marriage has been under strain for nearly three years. The turning point, they say, came in early 2022, when Aparna Yadav quit the Samajwadi Party and joined the BJP without Prateek’s consent. The move was widely seen as a political shock for the Mulayam family, making Aparna the first member of the household to cross over to the BJP.
This is not the first time Prateek has aired grievances on social media. On February 5, 2025, he had posted a series of allegations against Aparna, accusing her of making his life “hell” and acting only for “money and power.” He had also claimed to possess proof of her “truth and past.” Those posts were later deleted, but Monday’s statement suggests the conflict has reached a breaking point.
After the Instagram post, neither Prateek nor Aparna responded to phone calls. When contacted, Aparna’s brother suggested that the Instagram account might have been hacked and said the family would issue a statement soon. The Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s political heir, have so far maintained silence on the issue.
A high-profile marriage
Prateek and Aparna got married on December 4, 2011, after a decade-long relationship that began in 2001, when the two first interacted at a birthday party and started exchanging emails. Their wedding in Saifai, Etawah, was a grand affair attended by lakhs of guests, including Mulayam Singh Yadav himself and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan. The couple has two daughters.
Aparna, born Aparna Bisht on January 1, 1990, hails from a Uttarakhand-based family. Her father was a journalist who later became a State Information Commissioner, while her mother, Ambi Bisht, served as a property officer in the Lucknow Development Authority. Aparna studied at Loreto Convent, Lucknow, and later in the UK. After marriage, she adopted the surname Yadav.
Prateek, now 38, is the only son of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s second wife, Sadhana Gupta, a former nurse. Although Mulayam publicly acknowledged Prateek as his son, he named Akhilesh Yadav — his son from first wife Malti Devi — as his political successor.
Aparna Yadav’s political journey has been marked by controversy and independence. Even during her time in the Samajwadi Party, she often made statements that diverged from the party line. In 2017, she contested the Lucknow Cantonment seat on an SP ticket but lost to BJP’s Rita Bahuguna Joshi. When she was denied a ticket in the 2022 Assembly elections, Aparna quit the SP and joined the BJP, a move Akhilesh Yadav chose not to publicly comment on.
Despite joining the BJP, Aparna did not receive an Assembly ticket in 2022 and later sought one from Sarojini Nagar without success. She was eventually appointed vice-chairperson of the State Women’s Commission in 2024–25.
Her tenure has also seen several controversies, including cases against her family members—corruption allegations against her mother and cheating charges against her brother. In recent months, Aparna was highly active in the KGMU “love jihad” and forced conversion controversy, leading protests and press conferences that culminated in allegations of vandalism at the vice-chancellor’s office. KGMU authorities later clarified that the damage was caused by her supporters, not Aparna herself.
Prateek stays away from politics
Unlike his wife, Prateek Yadav has consciously stayed away from active politics. An alumnus of the University of Leeds in the UK, he runs real estate and fitness businesses in Lucknow, including a gym called ‘The Fitness Planet’. He also heads a non-profit organisation, ‘Jeev Aashray’, dedicated to rescuing and caring for stray dogs.
January 19, 2026, 19:36 IST
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