Mulayam tried to convince Aparna: Akhilesh

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav tried hard to dissuade his daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav from joining the BJP, party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Wednesday and quipped that he was "happy" the SP's socialist ideology is expanding its reach.

Akhilesh Yadav also said he would decide on fighting the assembly polls after consulting the people of Azamgarh who had sent him to the Lok Sabha.

"First of all, I would like to congratulate and extend best wishes. I am also happy that our socialist ideology is expanding. I hope that our ideology will reach there and work to save the Constitution and democracy," the SP president told reporters in his first response on Aparna Yadav joining the BJP.

"Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) tried very hard to convince her," he said when asked if Mulayam Singh Yadav had given his blessings to Aparna Yadav for joining the BJP.

Asked if Aparna has parted ways because of the denial of the SP ticket, Akhilesh Yadav said, "All the tickets have not yet been distributed. Who has to be given a ticket depends on the region and people as well as the internal survey report of the party." Aparna Yadav is married to Prateek Yadav, the son of Mulayam Singh Yadav's second wife, while Akhilesh Yadav is his son from the first marriage.

She joined the BJP in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and the party's state chief Swatantra Dev Singh.

Expressing her admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Aparna Yadav also said the nation's interest has always been a priority for her and praised several schemes of the BJP government for cleanliness, women empowerment and employment.