As the names of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates for the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Assembly elections are being released, the chances of a ticket for Aparna Yadav, who switched from the Samajwadi Party (SP) to BJP, seem to be dwindling.
In the list released on Tuesday, 1 February, Brijesh Pathak was given ticket from Lucknow Cantt and Rajeshwar Singh from Sarojini Nagar, even though there were speculations that Aparna Yadav could be nominated from either of these seats.
So why did Aparna Yadav leave the SP to join the BJP? If the dispute was over the ticket which she hasn't yet got in BJP either, why does Yadav want to stay back in the BJP?
Why Didn’t Yadav Get Ticket From Lucknow Cantt?
In the 2017 Assembly elections, Aparna Yadav was a candidate from Lucknow Cantt on a SP ticket, but she lost. She got 32 percent of the votes. For the BJP, Lucknow Cantt is considered a safe constituency.
The BJP occupied the seat in 2002, 2007, and 2017 elections due to the dominant Brahmin voters in the constituency. However, Aparna Yadav is Bisht Rajput. That's why pitching Yadav for the seat could mean a big loss for the BJP.
Yogi Adityanath's government has been accused of acting against the interests of Brahmins, which is why the party has fielded Brijesh Pathak this time. He is an MLA from the central seat of Lucknow, but his seat has been changed.
The infighting in the Yadav family in 2017 started with Aparna Yadav herself but the blame was put on Shivpal Singh Yadav. Akhilesh had alleged that Shivpal Singh Yadav supported his half-brother (and Aparna's husband) Prateek Yadav and bitterness within the family increased. Aparna wanted to get a ticket from Lucknow Cantt.
Putting an End to Speculations of Karhal Ticket
There were speculations that Aparna Yadav would be fielded against Akhilesh Yadav in Karhal constituency. Pitching the family members against each other, the BJP did not want the narrative of past infighting to fade away.
However, rumours were put to rest when Union Minister SP Singh Baghel was fielded from Karhal. The BJP had no choice but to field the minister. Aparna does not want to show that she has given a leeway to Akhilesh Yadav but wanted to prove that a minister is also a strong competition to defeat him. This is why Aparna Yadav's ticket was cut from here too.
When Aparna Yadav left the SP for BJP, she was warmly welcomed by the big leaders of the party. The next day, she appeared in the BJP women's brigade along with Aditi Singh. But till now, the party has not given a ticket to Aparna. There seem to be two big reasons behind this.
Firstly, Aparna Yadav is prominently known as Mulayam Singh's daughter-in-law and not as a political leader. She is recognised for two reasons only – the dispute over tickets before the elections and praising the policies of Adityanath Yogi-Narendra Modi. She has little experience in holding the ground, which is why Akhilesh hesitated in giving her a ticket this time.
In 2017, Akhilesh was forced to give her a ticket at the behest of Mulayam Singh. But Aparna lost the election. In the BJP, Aparna may not fight elections and may remain only a backup for the party.
Secondly, by including Aparna Yadav, the BJP may not be expecting her to strengthen the support base of the party. The BJP has, time and time, given speeches about the rift in Akhilesh Yadav's family and will continue to do so.
In such a situation, the BJP would field Aparna Yadav in the election campaign, instead of giving her a ticket, as the daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav and as a family member of the Akhilesh Yadav's family. With this, the BJP could benefit the most in this narrative.
Why Did Aparna Switch to BJP if She Didn’t Want a Ticket?
Aparna Yadav is at an advantage by joining the BJP. In the SP, she was missing from the media and was away from the limelight. There was a lack of publicity and recognition, which she seems to be getting in the BJP.
Big leaders like JP Nadda, Yogi Adityanath, and Keshav Prasad Maurya accepted her in the BJP. She got a place in the women's brigade. Aparna Yadav is now getting recognised in the media as a political leader.
She will continue to be identified as a political leader in the BJP, unlike when she was in the SP. It is yet to be seen what the extent of this recognition will be, but the point of a leader in electoral politics is to contest elections and win. Aparna Yadav seems to be not making any progress on this front and the BJP is also not cooperating in this matter.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)