Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has been shifted to the Intensive Care Unit-(ICU) of Medanta Hospital here after his health condition deteriorated, reports said on Sunday.

The 82-year-old former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has been undergoing treatment at the Medanta Hospital for several days. However, he was shifted to the ICU after his condition became serious on Sunday.

According to reports, his son Akhilesh Yadav along with wife Dimple Yadav also reached Medanta hospital after his father was shifted to the ICU.

Earlier, Mulayam’s wife Sadhna Gupta passed away in July this year. She was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Gurugram for a lung infection.

Sadhana was Mulayam Singh Yadav’s second wife. His first wife, Maalti Devi passed away in 2003. Maalti Devi was the mother of Akhilesh Yadav.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s security cover was tightened after specific inputs indicating threats to his life through a mystery phone call on Sunday.

The Home Department, handled by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has also ordered a probe with efforts on to trace the call and the unknown caller.

Simultaneously, security at Shinde’s official residence ‘Varsha’, at Malabar Hill and his private home in Thane city was beefed up with additional forces deployed.

Officials said that the State Intelligence Department (SID) monitored the inputs about the threats to Shinde, who has a Z-category security cover.

Earlier, Shinde – who leads the rebel Shiv Sena faction which toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi govt in June – had been the target of similar threats from Maoists and anti-national elements earlier when he was a minister in the previous government.

Though officials are tightlipped, there’s speculation that the latest threats may be linked to the Centre’s decision to ban the PFI.

Shinde is presently travelling a lot for the Navratri festivities and will address a Dassehra rally at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground on Vijaya Dashami.

BJP leaders like Pravin Darekar and Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar suspect that certain persons may be upset by the CM’s tough decisions in recent times and demanded a full investigation into the matter, including political or international threads.

Maharashtra has mandated all government staff and officers to henceforth answer phone calls with ‘Vande Mataram’ instead of the traditional Hello, from Sunday.

In a late Saturday notification, the state has said that this will instil a sense of national pride among the people and hello has no meaning.

The new rule will be applicable even to various state events, on public address systems as it would generate a conducive environment and emit positive energy.

The proposal had been floated by Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar in mid-August, but the government remained in a denial mode.

The rule will be followed by all government staff, University, colleges, schools and up to the last level in the state administration as part of the ongoing 75th Anniversary of Indian Independence celebrations.