Sharad Yadav dies: Veteran politician and former JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav passed away on Thursday (January 12), said family sources. He was admitted at a private hospital in Gurugram.
He is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son. A statement from the Fortis Memorial Research Institute said Yadav was brought to the emergency ward in an unconscious and unresponsive state.
"On examination, he did not have any pulse or recordable blood pressure. He underwent CPR as per ACLS protocols. Despite best efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 10.19 pm," the statement said.
Sharad Yadav merged his party Loktantrik Janata Dal with RJD in March 2022:
Former Union minister and socialist leader Sharad Yadav merged his party Loktantrik Janata Dal with Rashtriya Janata Dal in March 2022 pitching for unity in opposition ranks to take on the BJP.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav welcomed the veteran leader, who had fought some of the keenest Lok Sabha poll battles against his father Lalu Prasad Yadav in the 1990s, into his party's fold, saying that it is a message for the anti-BJP parties to unite to take on the ruling dispensation.
Sharad Yadav (74) had been keeping low after battling health issues for months, and the development is seen as an effort to rehabilitate his colleagues and other associates as his party LJD could never become a serious force after being launched following his separation with JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
In 1998 general for 12th Lok Sabha Lalu won from Madhepura, but lost in 1999 general election to Sharad Yadav. In 2000 Bihar Legislative Assembly election he won and remained in opposition.
He had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election on the RJD ticket while his daughter had fought the 2020 Bihar assembly poll as a nominee of the Congress, then an RJD ally.
Unity of opposition parties is his priority, Sharad Yadav told media, while lauding Tejashwi Yadav for leading the fight against the BJP-led NDA in Bihar.
Opposition parties should join hands nationwide to take on BJP: Sharad Yadav
"This step (merger) has been necessitated as an initiative of his regular efforts for bringing together scattered Janata parivar in view of the current political situation in the country," he had earlier said in a statement, claiming the BJP government has been a failure and people are looking for a strong opposition.
The merger marks his coming together with Lalu Prasad Yadav after more than three decades with both leaders seen to be at a fag end of their political career.
Lalu Prasad Yadav had quit Janata Dal in 1997 to form his party over differences with its leadership as the probe against fodder scam, in which he was a main accused, gathered pace.
Sharad Yadav was then seen as his rival within the Janata Dal, and he later joined hands with Nitish Kumar to end RJD's 15-year reign in Bihar in 2005.
Sharad Yadav was, however, also seen as a key votary for the JD(U) -RJD alliance in the 2015 assembly polls in Bihar against the BJP, and he later parted ways with Kumar over his decision to ally with the BJP again.
Sharad Yadav vacated '7 Tuglaq Road residence' after 22 years:
On May 31, 2022, the former union minister Sharad Yadav vacated the 7 Tuglaq Road Bungalow after spending 22 years there as Union Minister and Member of Parliament, representing both houses- Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. After vacating the residence, Sharad Yadav told media that it is a matter of time.
"Time comes and goes; I have been in the Lutyens' zone for 50 years. I have been at 7 Tuglaq road for 22 years. Time keeps changing," he said. Yadav says that he is now shifting to Chhatarpur. When asked about RJD not giving him a Rajya Sabha ticket, despite promising, Yadav said that it is best to leave the story behind, now that Rajya Sabha tickets have been finalised everywhere.
"I have struggled my entire life. I resigned from the Parliament three times on moral grounds. How many leaders have done this in their political life?" he asked. The former Union Minister further told media that he came to Delhi in 1974, and was jailed during the emergency for two years."I was also jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) twice. How many went to jail while fighting political battles?.
"I have seen many ups and downs in life; I have seen not one but many elections. I have been in this Luteyens for 50 years, today is my last day in Lutyens' Delhi. If the time changes then again will return here" Yadav added. Sharad Yadav was residing in 7 Tuglaq road bungalow from the year 2000 when he became Civil Aviation Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in the Centre. Yadav vacated the bungalow after the RJD refuse to send him to the Upper House.
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