Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger son Prateek dies at 38 in Lucknow

Prateek Yadav, the younger son of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and stepbrother of Akhilesh Yadav, died here on Wednesday, sources said. Prateek, 38, had suddenly fallen ill and was rushed to the civil hospital in the early hours of the day, but was declared dead at the hospital, the sources said. Although hailing from a prominent political family, Prateek, a fitness enthusiast, had stayed away from active politics. However, his wife, Aparna Bisht Yadav, joined the BJP and is currently the vice chairperson of the State Women Commission. "The demise of Shri Pratik Yadav Ji is extremely heartbreaking! May God grant peace to the departed soul. Humble tribute!" the Samajwadi Party said in a brief post on X. Prateek was the son of Malayam Singh Yadav and his second wife, Sadhna Gupta. "I am at the hospital right now. This is not the time," Aman Bisht, Prateek's brother-in-law, told PTI on the phone.

Some youths who were seen with the body at the civil hospital, nearly a kilometre from Prateek's residence, said they rushed Prateek to the hospital around 5.10 am, and he was officially declared dead around 6 am. A panel of doctors is due to perform an autopsy. Prateek was also known to be an animal lover and supported many animal shelters. On January 19 this year, Prateek openly accused his wife, Aparna Bisht Yadav, of ruining his family ties and said he would seek a divorce from her at the earliest. In a lengthy post on his Instagram account (iamprateekyadav), the late politician's son described Aparna Yadav as a "family destroyer" and accused her of being "self-centred" and "driven by fame and influence." However, on January 28, he announced reconciliation with his wife. In a video he posted on Instagram, Prateek said, "On January 19, I had a serious dispute with my wife Aparna, following which I made two posts on social media. However, the matter has now been resolved mutually after discussions, and there is no longer any dispute between us." He also posted a caption in the video: "Haters, go to hell." In another post, he posted a video with Aparna.