Mulayam Singh Yadav

Mulayam Singh Yadav (born 22 November 1939) is an Indian politician who previously head the Samajwadi Party from Uttar Pradesh. He served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1989 to 1991, from 1993 to 1995, and from 2003 to 2007. He also served as the Minister of Defence of India from 1996 to 1998 in the United Front government. Currently, he serves in the Lok Sabha representing Azamgarh.

Mulayam Singh Yadav was born to Murti Devi Yadav and Sughar Singh Yadav on 22 November 1939 in Saifai village, Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, India.

He has gained several degrees — a B.A., B.T. and an M.A. in political science — from Karm Kshetra Post Graduate College in Etawah, A. K. College in Shikohabad, and B. R. College, Agra University respectively.

Yadav married twice. His first wife Malti Devi died in May 2003. Their son, Akhilesh Yadav (born 1973), is the current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh., Yadav's second wife is Sadhna Gupta Yadav. Sadhna was not well-known until February 2007, when the relationship was admitted in India's Supreme Court. Sadhna and Mulayam have a son named Prateek Yadav (born 1988). Prateek manages land holdings of the Yadav family.

Groomed by mass leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia and Raj Narain, Yadav was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh in 1967. Interestingly, it was the Indian socialist icon Raj Narain who also inaugurated the first election campaign of Mulayam Singh Yadav in 1967 assembly elections. Yadav served eight terms there. He first became a state minister in 1977. Later, in 1980, he became the president of the Lok Dal (People's Party) in Uttar Pradesh which became a part of the Janata Dal (People's Party) afterwards. In 1982, he was elected leader of the opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and held that post until 1985.

First term as chief minister

Yadav first became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1989.

After the collapse of the V P Singh government at the centre in November 1990, Yadav joined Chandra Shekhar's Janata Dal (Socialist) party and continued in office as chief minister with the support of the Congress Party. His government fell when the Congress withdrew support to his government in April 1991 in reaction to the aftermath of developments at the centre, wherein the Congress party withdrew support to Chandra Shekhar's government. Mid-term elections to Uttar Pradesh assembly were held in mid-1991, in which Mulayam Singh's party lost power to the BJP.

Second term as chief minister

In 1992, Yadav founded his own Samajwadi Party (Socialist Party). In 1993, he allied with the Bahujan Samaj Party for the elections to Uttar Pradesh assembly due to be held in November 1993. The alliance between Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party prevented the return of BJP to power in the state. Yadav became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh with the support of Congress and Janata Dal. His stand on movement for demanding separate statehood for Uttarakhand was as much controversial as his stand on Ayodhya movement in 1990 was. There was a firing on Uttarakhand activists at Muzaffarnagar on 2 October 1994, something for which Uttarakhand activists held him responsible. He continued holding that post until his ally opted into another alliance in June 1998.

As union cabinet minister

In 1996, Yadav was elected to the eleventh Lok Sabha from Mainpuri constituency. In the United Front coalition government formed that year, his party joined and he was named India's Defence Minister. That government fell in 1998 as India went in for fresh elections, but he returned to the Lok Sabha that year from Sambhal parliamentary constituency. After the fall of Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the centre in April 1999, he did not support the Congress party in the formation of the government at the Centre. He contested Lok Sabha elections of 1999 from two seats, Sambhal and Kannauj, and won from both. He resigned from Kannauj seat for his son Akhilesh in the by-elections.

Third term as chief minister

In 2002, following a fluid post-election situation in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Bahujan Samaj Party joined to form a government under Dalit leader Mayawati, who was considered to be Yadav's greatest political rival in the state. The BJP pulled out of the government on 25 August 2003, and enough rebel legislators of the Bahujan Samaj Party left to allow Yadav to become the Chief Minister, with the support of independents and small parties. He was sworn in as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the third time in September 2003. It is widely believed that this change was done with the blessings of the BJP, which was also ruling at the Centre then.

Yadav was still a member of the Lok Sabha when he was sworn in as chief minister. In order to meet the constitutional requirement of becoming the member of state legislature within six months of being sworn in, he contested the assembly by-election from Gunnaur assembly seat in January 2004. Yadav won by a record margin, polling almost 94 per cent of the votes.

With the hope of playing a major role at the centre, Yadav contested the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Mainpuri while still Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He won the seat and his Samajwadi Party won more seats in Uttar Pradesh than all other parties. However the Congress party, which formed the coalition government at the centre after the elections, had majority in the Lok Sabha with the support of the Communist parties. As a result, Yadav could not play any significant role at the centre, Yadav resigned from the Lok Sabha and chose to continue as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh until the 2007 elections, when he lost to the BSP.

2014 Indian General Election

Yadav and other members of the SP were criticised for conducting a festival during a crisis following riots in Muzzafarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. He and his party formed a pre-poll alliance for the 2014 Indian General Election that involved ten other parties. He was elected as a member of the 16th Lok Sabha in those elections from two constituencies - Azamgarh and Mainpuri - and subsequently resigned the latter seat.

The only other successful SP candidates in the election were relatives of Yadav: his daughter-in-law, Dimple Yadav, and his nephews Dharmendra Yadav, Akshay Yadav and Tej Pratap Singh Yadav.

Family feud

Since the young Akhilesh Yadav became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2012, surpassing Mulayum's brother Shivpal Yadav, the Yadav family has been divided into two feuding groups. One of the groups is led by CM Akhilesh Yadav with the support of his father's cousin, National General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav. The rival group is led by Mulayam Singh and supported by his brother and State Chief of Party, Shivpal Yadav, and a friend, MP Amar Singh. Akhilesh Yadav has fired his uncle twice from his cabinet as it was seen by many as a direct challenge to his father, who has steadily supported Shivpal over Akilesh. On 30 December 2016, Mulayam Yadav expelled his son Akhilesh and his cousin Ram Gopal from the party for six years on the grounds of indiscipline, only to revoke the decision 24 hours later. He was removed from the party presidency and instead named chief patron of the party following the national convention of the party on 1 January 2017. Mulayam termed the national convention as illegal and directly expelled his cousin, Ram Gopal Yadav, who had convened the national executive convention.