New Delhi, August 17, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
With the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections approaching, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav appears to be broadening the party’s electoral strategy by repeatedly expanding the meaning of its “PDA” acronym to reach different social groups, while also making a softer cultural outreach to Hindu voters.
The SP’s traditional “MY” — Muslim-Yadav — combination remained a key component of its electoral base for decades. However, the party subsequently faced allegations from sections of the Yadav community that it was perceived to favour Muslims, with a section of its Yadav support shifting towards the BJP, while other parties competed for Muslim voters.
Yadav has in recent months sought to broaden the party’s appeal. He has reportedly invoked verses from the Hanuman Chalisa at “Bada Mangal” events, a tradition observed mainly in eastern Uttar Pradesh on Tuesdays during Jyeshtha, when devotees worship Hanuman. The move has been viewed by political observers as an attempt at “soft Hindutva” — combining cultural outreach to Hindu voters with the SP’s established social coalition.
The strategy is also aimed at preventing the BJP from gaining an advantage through counter-polarisation in the politically crucial state, according to political observers.
The “PDA” formulation originally stood for “Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak” — backward classes, Dalits and minorities — when Yadav introduced it around three years ago. Its scope was subsequently widened. In 2025, he reinterpreted “A” as “aadhi aabadi”, referring to women, in an apparent effort to expand the party’s appeal among female voters.
The latest addition has come in the form of “Pandits”. Addressing a Brahmin Sammelan at the SP’s state headquarters in Lucknow earlier this month, Yadav said “P” could also stand for “Pandits”, referring to the Brahmin community.
Brahmins are estimated to account for around 9-10 per cent of Uttar Pradesh’s population based on 2011 Census-related estimates. Dalits constitute more than 21 per cent, while OBCs account for more than half of the population. Yadavs are the largest OBC group and are estimated to constitute around 19 per cent of the state’s population. Hindus accounted for nearly 80 per cent and Muslims more than 19 per cent in the last Census.
Yadav has also increased his criticism over the alleged embezzlement of donations linked to the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, adding another dimension to the SP’s outreach.
The SP’s renewed engagement with Brahmins comes against the backdrop of political debate over upper-caste support for the BJP. Yadav’s outreach also recalls the BSP’s earlier Dalit-Brahmin social coalition under Mayawati, which helped the party secure a majority in the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
As the 2027 contest takes shape, the expansion of “PDA” suggests that the SP is seeking to move beyond a narrowly defined social coalition and build a wider electoral base encompassing backward classes, Dalits, minorities, women and Brahmins.
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