Mulayam Singh Yadav, veteran Indian politician, dies at 82

Mulayam Singh Yadav, a veteran Indian politician and three-time chief minister of the country’s most populous state, has died after more than six weeks in hospital, his son said.

Yadav, who was 82, entered politics in his 20s, rising to become chief minister of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in 1989.

The state sends the highest number of legislators to the lower house of parliament and a strong showing in Uttar Pradesh is essential for any party or coalition to win power at the federal level.

Fondly called “Netaji”, or respected leader, by his supporters, Yadav became Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister for the second time in 1993, a year after a Hindu right-wing mob demolished the 16th century Babri Mosque in the town of Ayodhya, triggering nationwide violence.

He and his Samajwadi Party emerged as advocates for Muslims, who make up a sizeable minority in Uttar Pradesh.

Yadav also served as India’s federal defense minister in a coalition government between 1996 and 1998. He was chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for a third time from 2003 to 2007.

In recent years, he handed over the leadership of the party to his son, Akhilesh Yadav, although he remained a senior leader and a member of the national parliament.

“My respected father and your ‘Netaji’ is no more,” Akhilesh Yadav said in a tweet from the Samajwadi Party’s official account on Monday.

Agencies