‘PDA’ includes Pandits, says Akhilesh in SP bid to woo Brahmins in Uttar Pradesh

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday (August 5, 2026) sought to expand his party’s ‘PDA’ constituency and include Pandits or Brahmins in its Pichhda-Dalit-Alpsankhyak (Backwards, Dalits and minorities) matrix ahead of the State Assembly poll due early next year. The SP has used the PDA plank as a call for broader unity of forces of social justice since the 2022 Assembly election.

“People keep talking about PDA and inventing new meanings about it. Ever since they (BJP) lost to PDA, they have been trying to redefine it. But they have forgotten that the ‘PD’ in PDA also stands for Pandit. The more they inflict peeda (pain), the stronger PDA will become,” said the SP chief while addressing a ‘Brahmin/Prabuddh varg Sammelan’ at the party headquarters in Lucknow on the birth anniversary of late Socialist leader and MP Janeshwar Mishra.

Mr. Yadav hit out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for “neglecting” Brahmins, other marginalised communities and religious leaders, and accused it of targeting Opposition workers and leaders. “They were already targeting our workers and us. Now they have also started targeting the Brahmin community. They are after the ‘P’ of PDA as well,” he alleged.

The SP chief referred to Swami Avimukteshwaranand being prevented from taking a holy dip during the Kumbh congregation earlier this year. “If there is any example in history where a government stopped a Shankaracharya from taking a holy dip, show us one. A false POCSO case was also filed to intimidate him, but he did not bow down,” he said.

In another signal to Brahmins, he said the SP, whenever it has got the chance, has done the work of giving respect to the community. He touched upon the embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple as well: “Today, the biggest sin committed by anyone is that by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which stole even the offerings made to Lord Shri Ram… Lord Shri Ram will not let them win.”

‘Game changer’

Lucknow-based political analyst Asad Rizvi said the signal to Brahmins is aimed at securing a section of votes that could prove to be a game changer. “Brahmins, with a population of over 9%, are traditional BJP voters. The SP plans to align with the Brahmin community through Janeshwar Mishra’s birth anniversary. It knows that winning the community’s trust will significantly ease its path to power,” he said.