Prateek Yadav, patriarch Mulayam Singh’s stepson with his second wife Sadhna Gupta, died in Lucknow in the early hours of Wednesday, May 13.
Pratik Yadav, stepson of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh along with his second wife Sadhana Gupta, died early on Wednesday in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh at the age of 38. While Akhilesh Yadav’s half-brother has largely stayed away from politics despite coming from one of India’s largest political families, he was married to BJP leader Aparna Yadav.
Prateek Yadav was born to Mulayam Singh’s second wife Sadhana Gupta Yadav from her previous marriage. She died in July 2022.
Pratik Yadav’s death comes months after a family drama erupted in late Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s clan when he claimed that his wife Aparna is a “selfish woman” and that he would divorce her “as soon as possible”.
What is known about the death of Prateek Yadav
Confirming the death, Lucknow Civil Hospital director Dr JP Gupta said information was received at around 5am that Prateek Yadav was unwell, following which a team of doctors rushed to his residence.
An earlier HT report quoted Dr Gupta as saying: “When the doctors reached there, his condition appeared to be critical. He was taken to the hospital and despite all the efforts of the medical team, he was declared dead around 5.55 am.”
According to hospital sources, Prateek was taken to the Civil Hospital around 5.30 am.
The director of the Civil Hospital said that the suspected poisoning angle would be investigated after the death.
When Prateek Yadav sought divorce from his wife, a BJP leader
In two posts on his official Instagram account – iamprateekyadav – Pratik Yadav in January this year described his wife Aparna as a “family destroyer” and accused her of being selfish and driven by fame and power.
Aparna Yadav, a BJP leader, is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Women. What angered Pratik Yadav was not known, and neither the SP nor the BJP reacted to the issue at that time. Prateek and Aparna Yadav got married in 2011 and have a daughter together.
Aparna Yadav joined the BJP in March 2022 and participated in the party’s election campaign.
She was appointed Vice-Chairman of the State Women’s Commission in September 2024.
Aparna Yadav contested the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on an SP ticket from Lucknow’s Cantt seat but lost to Congress candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
“I will divorce this selfish woman as soon as possible. She has destroyed my family ties. All she wants is to become famous and influential,” Prateek wrote in an Instagram post.
He had said that his mental health condition was affected by it. He said: “Right now, my mental health condition is very bad and she doesn’t care. Because she is the only one who cares about me. I have never seen such a bad spirit before, and I was not lucky to marry her.”
In another post from the same account, Pratik Yadav then wrote: “I broke up with my mother, I broke up with my father, I broke up with my brother. He just wants to be famous.”
The post further read: “Biggest liar I’ve ever seen (I swear to my kid). Biggest self-interested person I’ve ever seen.”
Divorce posts removed, happy memories shared
It seems that the relationship improved later, as the couple was seen happy together in many photos published on their social media accounts. Posts in which Prateek Yadav wrote about divorce have also been removed.
When asked if she would file a complaint against her husband over the allegations in the Women’s Commission in connection with her divorce case, Dr Babita Singh Chauhan, the chairperson of the commission at the time, said: “This is her family’s matter and it is a very private matter…”
She did not submit this to the committee; Dr Babita said she can make her own decisions.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday expressed his condolences over the death of Pratik Yadav and termed it “extremely heartbreaking”.
“The sudden demise of Shri Pratik Yadav ji, son of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister ‘Padma Vibhushan’, late Mulayam Singh Yadav ji, and husband of Sergeant Aparna Yadav ji, Vice-Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Women’s Commission, is extremely heartbreaking. It is extremely heartbreaking. It is extremely heartbreaking,” CM Yogi Adityanath said in a post on X.
He added: “My condolences to the family of the deceased, and called on the bereaved family to find strength to bear the loss.”
Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times Newsdesk. From politics and politics to economics and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we’ve got you covered.Read more
