Mulayam Singh Yadav, Samajwadi Party patriarch, rushed to hospital in Lucknow: Reports

Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav was rushed to hospital in Lucknow today. Multiple media reports have said that Yadav has been admitted to emergency ward in PGI, Lucknow. Yadav was last seen attending a joint rally with rival-turned-ally Mayawati in Mainpuri last week. Once steadfast rivals have now joined hands to take on the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections.

In 1995, Samajwadi Party workers had allegedly attacked a state guest house where Mayawati was camping with her supporters. The immediate provocation was Mayawati's decision to withdraw from the government and join hands with the BJP. Ever since then the two had become sworn enemies. The SP patriarch is contesting from Mainpuri and Mayawati campaigning for him is proof that they have buried their hatchet, at least for now. Mulayam had not attended the other SP-BSP joint rallies in Deoband, Badaun and Agra because of health issues.

The Samajwadi Party patriarch is contesting from his bastion Mainpuri in this Lok Sabha elections. He had filed his nomination papers from the constituency last month. As per the affidavit, the SP patriarch has declared a total property, both movable and immovable, worth Rs 16.52 crore. This is Rs 3.20 crore less than the assets declared by him in an affidavit ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

According to the affidavit, a case was registered against Mulayam Singh Yadav at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on September 24, 2015, for allegedly threatening IPS officer Amitabh Thakur over phone. The case is pending in the court of the chief judicial magistrate. His affidavit mentions that he owes Rs 2.13 crore to his son Akhilesh Yadav.

Mulayam Singh Yadav and his wife Sadhna Yadav have an annual income of Rs 32.02 lakh and Rs 25.61 lakh respectively. Sadhna Yadav has shown assets worth Rs 5.06 crore.

According to the election affidavit, Mulayam Singh Yadav does not have a car. However, his wife owns a luxury car.

The feud in the first family of the Samajwadi Party was, however, evident as Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav was not present there. Shivpal Singh Yadav, who founded Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) after falling apart with his nephew and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, has announced his candidature from Firozabad in the coming polls.   

During the Yadav family feud in 2016, Ram Gopal Yadav had sided with Akhilesh Yadav. Mulayam Singh Yadav, the former defence minister, has won the seat four times in the past- 1996, 2004, 2009 and 2014. Interacting with media after filing the papers, the SP leader exuded confidence that his party would win the election and said he is not a candidate for the prime minister's post.