Saifai wedding sets up grand renuion of Samajwadi Party first family

KANPUR: The first family of Samajwadi Party came together after an interregnum at their family backyard of Saifai with party president Akhilesh Yadav and estranged uncle, Shivpal Yadav, sharing the stage to grace the wedding of the sister of former Mainpuri MP Tej Pratap Yadav. The Yadav clan’s much vaunted Holi festivity in Saifai was low key this year with both Akhilesh and Shivpal holding separate celebrations. But on Sunday, Shivpal attended the wedding of his niece, Deepali, and was part of photo-ops with Akhilesh, marking a grand reunion of the Yadav clan led by party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Deepali tied the knot with Ashwani Yadav, resident of Firozabad and associate professor at Central University, Chandigarh. Her brother, Tej Pratap is the son of Mulayam’s nephew — Late Ranvir Singh Yadav.

Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family, including his son Tejashwi and his sisters were also present. Deepali’s brother, Tej Pratap, is married to Lalu’s daughter, Rajlakshmi. Only a handful of guests were present due to the pandemic and the function low-key compared to the grandeur of Tej Pratap’s wedding, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other celebrities.
The Yadav GenNext, including former Badaun MP Dharmendra Yadav, Etawah Nagar panchayat chairman candidate Anshul and Shivpal’s son Aditya and Ram Gopal’s son and former Firozabad MP Akshay Yadav, were also spotted at the event, which began at 12:30pm.
While the bride wore a red embellished lehenga and intricate jewellery, the groom resplendent in a white churidar, sherwani and almond-coloured turban came astride a horse-driven chariot. The ‘baraat’ was received by Mulayam’s younger brother Abhay Ram Singh Yadav. The ‘jaimaal’ ceremony (exchange of garlands) took place around 1pm and cuisine was strictly vegetarian.
Soon after the wedding ceremony, Mulayam was the first to bless the couple, followed by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav, Shivpal, Lalu’s son Tejashwi and SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav. Keeping in mind Covid guidelines, only those with invites were allowed entry. On Saturday, a banquet was organized for people of neighbouring areas.