1 / 8Three-time Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and India's former Defence Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, passed away on October 10 following brief illness. Yadav's dominance in Indian politics can be gauged from the fact that he was elected tetimes as MLA and seven times as Lok Sabha MP. As India mourns the departure of a political heavyweight here is a look at his life in pictures. (Image: Gautam Adani Twitter)
2 / 8Mulayam Singh Yadav was born on November 22, 1939 to Murti Devi and Sughar Singh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh's Saifai village in Etawah district. He studied and attained three degrees in political science — a BA from Karm Kshetra Post Graduate College in Etawah, a BT from AK College in Shikohabad, and an MA from BR College, Agra University. Despite being an eager student of political science, Mulayam Singh always had a fierce ambition of being a wrestler. Hence, he was also often referred to as "Pehlwan". (Image: Sitaram Yechury Twitter)
3 / 8Mulayam Singh married Malti Devi and the couple had their only child Akhilesh Yadav. Malti Devi died in May 2003. The father-son duo would go on to become the head of the political outfit Samajwadi Party and also the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. (Image: Reuters)
4 / 8He was inspired by the lives of freedom fighter Raj Narain and socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia, hence decided to foray into politics. Yadav was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh in 1967. Later Mulayam Singh rose to prominence in UP politics and first became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1989. Three years later Mulayam Singh founded his own Samajwadi Party. In 1992, Yadav became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh with the support of the Congress and Janata Dal. By now, Yadav had become a stalwart in UP politics and he was sworn in as the CM of the state for the third time in September 2003. (Image: Reuters)
5 / 8Before being elected as the CM of UP for the third time in 2003, Yadav was the Defence Miniter fo India for a short duration. Mulayam Singh Yadav held the prestigious portfolio in 1996, until the United Front coalition government up fell in 1998. (Image: Reuters)
6 / 8Mulayam Singh Yadav found himself in the midst of controversies regarding his comments about the brutal Delhi gang rape case of 2012. Commenting on the case, he said that "Boys will be boys. Boys commit mistakes". Yadav's comments drew the ire of the public and sharp criticism from his political opponents. Mulayam Singh repeated similar statements in the 2014 Badaun gang rape case. (Image: Reuters)
7 / 8Mulayam Singh Yadav also had to endure a family feud during his lifetime. In 2012, when his son Akhilesh Yadav became the CM of Uttar Pradesh, it led to dissatisfaction and unrest in his brother Shivpal Singh Yadav's camp. This led to the Yadav clan splitting into two. One of the groups, led by Akhilesh, enjoyed the support of his father's cousin and National General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav. The rival group was led by Mulayam Singh and supported by his brother and State Chief of the Party, Shivpal Yadav, and a friend, former MP Amar Singh. Later the father-son duo patched up and Akhilesh had the full support of his father before contesting the 2022 UP elections. (Image: Reuters)
8 / 8The cult status that Mulayam Singh Yadav enjoyed in UP and his overall stature in Indian politics made him the subject of the Hindi-language biographical film Main Mulayam Singh Yadav, which was released in 2021. Mulayam Singh also finds reference in the 2019 political movie The Accidental Prime Minister which is based on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. (Image: Reuters)
