Akhilesh Yadav mourns Prateek Yadav, says ‘he was a very good boy’

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday expressed deep sorrow over the death of his stepbrother Prateek Yadav, describing him as a “very good boy” who was determined to succeed through hard work.

Prateek Yadav, the younger son of late SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and his second wife Sadhana Gupta, died in Lucknow on Wednesday morning at the age of 38. He was married to BJP leader Aparna Yadav.

He was taken to the Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Officials said the exact cause of death has not yet been confirmed and a post-mortem examination is underway.

Akhilesh Yadav visited the hospital following the news and spoke briefly to reporters about his memories of Prateek.

“I have seen him since childhood. It is unfortunate that he is no longer with us today,” the Samajwadi Party chief said.

“He was always conscious about his health and fitness. He wanted to achieve something and move forward in life. He was a very good boy who wanted to do something through his hard work,” he added.

The Kannauj MP said the family would follow all legal procedures related to the post-mortem and funeral arrangements in accordance with the law.

Recalling their last interaction, Akhilesh Yadav said he had met Prateek around two months ago and had advised him to take care of both his health and business matters.

“Sometimes people become distressed because of business losses,” he remarked.

Earlier in the day, Akhilesh Yadav also paid tribute to his step-brother in a post on X, saying the news of his passing was deeply saddening and praying for peace for the departed soul.

According to family sources, Prateek Yadav had been suffering from lung-related complications for some time and was undergoing treatment for a blood clot in his lungs. His condition reportedly worsened on Wednesday morning, after which he was rushed to hospital.

With IANS inputs