CM Rekha Gupta Pays Tribute to Mulayam Singh Yadav
Synopsis
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta offered a cross-party tribute to Mulayam Singh Yadav on his death anniversary on October 10, 2026, honouring the Padma Vibhushan awardee and Samajwadi Party founder's lasting contribution to Indian politics and public life.
Key Takeaways
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta paid tribute to Mulayam Singh Yadav on his death anniversary, October 10, 2026 .
Mulayam Singh Yadav served as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh three times and as Union Defence Minister in the United Front government.
He was the founder of the Samajwadi Party , one of India's most significant regional political forces.
He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan , India's second-highest civilian honour, for his decades of public service.
Gupta's tribute is notable as a cross-party gesture — she leads the BJP government in Delhi, a long-standing rival of the Samajwadi Party.
Mulayam Singh Yadav passed away on 10 October 2022 in Gurugram.
On the death anniversary of former Defence Minister and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta offered a heartfelt tribute on Saturday, October 10, 2026, honouring the veteran socialist leader's enduring legacy in Indian public life.
Posting on X, CM Gupta wrote — translated from Hindi — 'Humble tribute to Mulayam Singh Yadav ji, former Defence Minister of the country, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and recipient of the 'Padma Vibhushan', on his death anniversary. His contribution to Indian politics and public life will always be remembered.'
Mulayam Singh Yadav was one of the most consequential political figures of post-independence India. Born on 22 November 1939 in Saifai, Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, he rose from a wrestling arena in rural UP to the highest echelons of national power. He served as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh three times and as Union Defence Minister in the United Front government during the late 1990s. He was the founder of the Samajwadi Party, one of India's most significant regional political forces. He passed away on 10 October 2022 in Gurugram, and the nation marks his punyatithi (death anniversary) each year on this date.
Mulayam Singh Yadav was awarded the Padma Vibhushan — India's second-highest civilian honour — in recognition of his decades of public service. His political journey was defined by a fierce commitment to socialist ideals, backward-class mobilisation, and a style of mass politics rooted deeply in the Uttar Pradesh heartland.
The tribute by CM Gupta carries a particular political significance: she leads the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Delhi, a party that has long been a rival of the Samajwadi Party at the national and state level. Cross-party remembrances of this kind underscore the stature Mulayam Singh Yadav commanded across political lines — a recognition that transcends partisan divides.
In Indian democratic tradition, leaders of all persuasions routinely mark the punyatithi of towering political figures, and today's tribute reflects that bipartisan respect for a man who shaped the political landscape of the country's most populous state for over four decades.
A political giant of the Gangetic plains, Mulayam Singh Yadav's legacy lives on not just in the party he built, but in the vocabulary of Indian federal politics itself.
Point of View
A strategy that carries electoral significance in Uttar Pradesh and beyond. Mulayam's death anniversary invariably becomes a moment where national leaders signal respect for the social coalitions he built, particularly among backward-class communities. Whether such gestures translate into political goodwill in UP's deeply contested landscape is a question the Samajwadi Party watches closely every year.
NationPress
10 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Mulayam Singh Yadav pass away?
Mulayam Singh Yadav passed away on 10 October 2022 in Gurugram, Haryana.
Why did Delhi CM Rekha Gupta pay tribute to Mulayam Singh Yadav?
CM Rekha Gupta paid tribute to mark his punyatithi (death anniversary) on October 10, 2026 , recognising his contribution to Indian politics as former Defence Minister, three-time UP Chief Minister, and Padma Vibhushan awardee.
How many times was Mulayam Singh Yadav Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh?
Mulayam Singh Yadav served as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh three times and also served as Union Defence Minister in the United Front government.
What is the Padma Vibhushan awarded to Mulayam Singh Yadav?
The Padma Vibhushan is India's second-highest civilian honour, awarded to Mulayam Singh Yadav in recognition of his decades of outstanding public service.
Who founded the Samajwadi Party?
The Samajwadi Party was founded by Mulayam Singh Yadav , one of India's most influential regional political leaders rooted in socialist ideology and backward-class mobilisation.