Prateek Yadav, younger son of late Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and husband of BJP leader Aparna Yadav, passed away at a hospital in Lucknow on Wednesday morning.
The exact cause of death has not yet been confirmed. Reports state that Prateek was brought to the civil hospital by his family in the morning, where he was pronounced dead.
According to an NDTV report, Prateek had been suffering from lung-related issues for a long time. A panel of doctors at the King George Medical University and Hospital will perform a post-mortem examination of the body to ascertain the cause of death.
Prateek, the stepbrother of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, was the son of Sadhna Gupta, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s second wife. Despite belonging to one of the state’s most prominent political families, he stayed away from active politics and focused on business and fitness ventures.
Paying tribute, the Samajwadi Party said in a post on X: “Prateek Yadav has passed away, deeply saddened! May God grant peace to the departed soul.”
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed grief over Prateek’s untimely death. He wrote on X: “The sudden demise of Shri Prateek Yadav Ji, son of former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, ‘Padma Vibhushan’ late Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji, and husband of Smt. Aparna Yadav Ji, Vice-Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Women's Commission, is extremely heartbreaking. Humble tribute. My condolences are with the bereaved family."
"I pray to Lord Shri Ram that the departed soul attains eternal peace and the grieving family is granted the strength to bear this immense sorrow," the chief minister added.
Prateek married Aparna Yadav in 2011 after several years of relationship. While Prateek remained disengaged from electoral politics, Aparna contested the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket, albeit unsuccessfully.
Aparna later joined the BJP in 2022 and was appointed Vice-Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Women's Commission in 2024.
In January, the couple filed a divorce petition, with Prateek accusing Aparna of damaging family ties. In an Instagram post, he wrote, “I am going to divorce this selfish woman as soon as possible. She ruined my family ties. All she wants is to become famous and influential.”
However, they did not pursue the divorce case further.