Mulayam Singh Yadav passes away at 82

According to his son Akhilesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, the founder of the Samajwadi Party and three-time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, passed away on Monday at a private hospital at the age of 82.

The seasoned lawmaker was receiving care in the ICU of Gurgaon’s Medanta Hospital. In a message, the hospital stated that Yadav received life-saving medication.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tribute to Mulayam Singh Yadav in a series of tweets. “Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji was a remarkable personality. He was widely admired as a humble and grounded leader who was sensitive to people’s problems. He served people diligently and devoted his life towards popularising the ideals of Loknayak JP and Dr. Lohia,” he said in one of the tweets.

I had many interactions with Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji when we served as Chief Ministers of our respective states. The close association continued and I always looked forward to hearing his views. His demise pains me. Condolences to his family and lakhs of supporters. Om Shanti. pic.twitter.com/eWbJYoNfzU

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 10, 2022

The 82-year-old Mulayam Singh Yadav served as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for three terms. He was elected to the state assembly eight times and to parliament seven times. The politician who began as a wrestler and later became a teacher also served as Union Defense Minister.

Samajwadi Party founder and senior Indian politician born on November 22, 1939. He was the Lok Sabha representative for Mainpuri. In a time of intense social and political upheaval following the 1970s, the former wrestler rose to prominence in UP politics.

Mulayam’s political career would become intricately entwined with the political history of UP, starting with the Mandal-Kamandal era in the 1980s and 1990s and continuing until he handed the reins over to his son Akhilesh Yadav in 2012.

After emerging as a socialist leader, Mulayam quickly became a pillar of the OBC, taking over much of the political ground left vacant by Congress. He entered office as the 15th chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1989, the year the Congress was ousted from office, and has failed to regain control of the state ever since.