Mulayam Singh Yadav (1939-2022): The Samajwadi who held sway over UP

His moves in UP politics sometimes earned him the sobriquet of an opportunist

A vigorous and central force in the politics of Uttar Pradesh – and later, India – Mulayam Singh Yadav's passing will leave a void that no leader can fill. This was the man who used to run the government in Uttar Pradesh (UP), India's most populous state. With 80 seats out of the Lok Sabha's 545, it was believed that the road to becoming prime minister had to pass through UP: Narendra Modi acknowledged as much when he shifted out of Gujarat to seek a Lok Sabha seat from UP.

In some ways, Mulayam Singh Yadav was like Modi: a