Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law among losers

LUCKNOW: Aparna Yadav, daughter-in-law of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, was among the losers as the saffron tide swept across Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow today, with the BJP bagging eight out of nine seats here.

This was a major jolt to the SP, which had won seven seats in 2012.

Besides Aparna, three ministers, one of whom was recently sacked, also lost in the Assembly polls.

Aparna was defeated by Rita Joshi of the BJP by a margin of 33,796 votes in Lucknow Cantt.

Joshi, former UP Congress chief who switched over to the BJP a few months before the Assembly polls, bagged 95,402 votes while Aparna managed to get 61,606 votes. Yogesh Dixit of BSP could get 26,036 votes.

The ministers who contested were Abhishek Mishra (Lucknow North), Ravidas Mehrotra (Lucknow Central) and Sharda Prasad Shukla (Sarojininagar).

In Sarojininagar assembly constituency, BJP opened its account with party candidate and state women wing head Swati Singh defeating Anurag Yadav nephew of SP patron by a margin of 34,179 votes.

Swati Singh secured 1,08,506 votes, whereas Anurag got 74,723 votes.