Expelled Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav's political journey seems to have come to an end. A noted psephologist Yogendra Yadav, was an academician before turning to politics.
Here are few interesting facts about Yadav:
- Yogendra Yadav has a Muslim name too. His father named him Salim and his family and close friends still call him by that name. Yadav said he was named Salim by his father as a "secular response" to the murder of his grandfather Ram Singh in a communal riot in 1936. His sister Neelam was named Najma.
- His name was changed to Yogendra at the age of five because he was being bullied by Hindu children at school.
- Yogendra was a professor of Political science at Punjab University, Chandigarh between 1965 and 1993.
- He was appointed a senior fellow at CSDS (Centre for Society of Developing Societies) in 2004.
- A renowned psephologist and political commentator, Yadav was a regular on a number of television channels in India.
- He provided advice to Rahul Gandhi for the 2009 general elections.
- Yadav was appointed as a member of the National Advisory Council for the implementation of the Right to Education Act in 2010.
- Yadav actively participated in nationwide anti-corruption protests in 2011.
- He was one of the founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party.
- Yogendra was appointed a member of University Grants Commision (UGC) in July 2011. After joining politics, his membership was perceived by Human Resource Ministry as conflict of interest. He resigned in September 2013.
- Yogendra Yadav contested the 2014 general elections from Gurgaon constituency but lost.
- Conflicts between him and AAP convenor Arvind Kjriwal aroused after humiliating defeat of the party in general elections.
- Yogendra was voted out of AAP's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) on 4 March 2015.
- On March 28 2015, the party removed him from National Executive.
- Yadav was expelled from the party on April 21 2015.
