Politics

SP Expands PDA to Target Brahmins and Baniyas Ahead of Assembly Election

By Mayank Kumar

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has broadened his PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) platform to include Brahmins and Baniyas, a move analysts say aims to split the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) core support base before the Assembly election. The SP won five of the 11 seats in the Legislative Council polls, while the BJP secured the remaining six. Analysts caution that this result may not automatically translate into wider electoral gains without a concrete policy roadmap.

Lucknow‑based political analyst Asad Rizvi noted that Brahmin and Baniya communities are key BJP supporters. By alleging injustice to them, the SP positions itself as a champion for diverse social groups and seeks to create divisions within the BJP’s social base. Political commentator Umakant Tripathi added that Council polls often reflect community resentment and that sustained campaigning is required to convert any advantage into Assembly election gains.

Independent analyst Himanshu Singh said the SP must move beyond rhetoric and outline specific demands, such as a Brahmin Welfare Board, to capitalize on the sentiment.

At a press conference in Lucknow on October 30, Yadav said, “The BJP has victimised, oppressed, and humiliated every community, so all the oppressed have come together.” He added that the PDA support base has now reached 95%, thanks to Brahmin, business and Kayastha communities voting for the SP. He claimed that the Brahmin community faces “systemic harassment” from the ruling coalition and cited the defeat of his party’s upper‑caste candidate, Sanjayan Tripathi, from the Gorakhpur Graduates’ seat, alleging that corrupt BJP members and complicit officials conspired to defeat the SP nominee.

SP spokesperson Sunil Singh Yadav explained that the phrase “Haata nahi bhaata” refers to the late Hari Shankar Tiwari, a senior Brahmin leader from Gorakhpur who opposed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

SP candidate Akash Agarwal, who won the Agra Teachers MLC seat, highlighted his community roots during his campaign and alleged harassment under the Adityanath dispensation, stating, “I am being harassed for being an Agarwal. I cannot continue living in such a Sanatana society. I will embrace Islam or Buddhism.”

Yadav has also portrayed CM Adityanath as prioritizing his home turf of Gorakhpur over the party’s prospects elsewhere, including Varanasi, where the BJP lost both MLC seats.

The BJP responded by projecting a united front. On October 30, Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the BJP’s State executive meeting, urging party workers to “throw disappointment and resentment into the Gomti river” and praising development under Adityanath’s leadership. He downplayed reports of internal friction.

Himanshu Singh noted that the SP has not addressed the demand for a Brahmin Welfare Board or specific schemes for the business community. He said that while Council polls can open doors to these sections, only a clear framework will help the SP capitalize on the sentiment.