Still heavy on Muslim-Yadav leadership, Akhilesh's PDA 'push' raises eyebrows

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav

After losing power in Uttar Pradesh in 2022, the Samajwadi Party (SP) began raising the slogan of PDA (referring to Pichda, Dalit and Muslim) in an attempt to consolidate a broader social coalition. The strategy appeared to work in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when the party won 37 of the 80 seats in the state. Congress secured six seats while contesting the election in alliance with the SP.

Following this success, many observers expected the party to reflect the PDA formula within its own organisational structure and expand representation of backward classes, Dalits and Muslims in key positions. However, the current composition of the party organisation suggests that the change has been limited.

Political analyst Rajendra Kumar said the Samajwadi Party’s traditional M-Y combination has historically been the backbone of its electoral success, but the party must balance it with its broader PDA outreach.

“The Yadav-Muslim equation has been the core strength of the Samajwadi Party for decades and it has helped the party remain electorally relevant even in difficult phases. However, if the SP wants the PDA formula to become a durable political strategy, it must ensure meaningful representation to non-Yadav OBCs and Dalits as well. Expanding the social base without weakening the traditional support will be the real challenge for the party ahead of the 2027 assembly elections,” Kumar said.

At present, nearly 70 per cent of the Samajwadi Party’s 97 district and city presidents belong to the Yadav and Muslim communities, commonly described as the M-Y combination that has historically formed the party’s core base. The numbers have raised questions within political circles about whether the PDA slogan has translated into organisational restructuring.

Despite the Yadav population in Uttar Pradesh being estimated at around 8 to 9 percent, the community continues to dominate the party’s organisational structure. Out of the current 95 district presidents, 42 are Yadavs, accounting for about 44 percent.

Muslims hold the second highest representation with 24 district presidents. In contrast, Dalits, who constitute around 20 to 21 percent of the state’s population, have been given only three district president posts.

The representation of upper castes is also limited. During the time of party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, Thakurs had a visible presence in the party organisation. At present, however, there is not a single Thakur district or city president in the party. Among the 95 district presidents, only seven belong to the general category, including two Brahmins, two Baniyas and one each from the Tyagi and Bengali Kayastha communities.

The distribution also varies regionally. In western Uttar Pradesh, the SP appears to rely heavily on Muslim leaders at the district level, while in Purvanchal most district presidents belong to the Yadav community. In divisions such as Chitrakoot, Azamgarh, Basti and Lucknow, the organisational structure largely reflects the M-Y combination.

Some divisions, however, show a relatively balanced caste composition. In the Agra division, there are seven district or metropolitan presidents including two Yadavs, two Muslims, one Baniya, one Kushwaha and one Shakya. Similarly, in the Kanpur division, among the eight district presidents there are two each from the Yadav, Muslim and Brahmin communities and one each from the Shakya and Dalit communities.

Opposition parties have used these figures to question the credibility of the Samajwadi Party’s PDA narrative. BSP chief Mayawati, speaking at a press conference, said the PDA slogan was a political tactic aimed at drawing Dalit and Muslim voters towards the SP. She argued that the party’s political conduct over the years reflects an anti-Dalit orientation.

BJP state vice president Vijay Bahadur Pathak also targeted the party, claiming the PDA model was merely a political showpiece. According to him, the SP rarely entrusts key responsibilities to leaders outside its traditional support base or the Yadav family.

“When SP chief Akhilesh Yadav vacated his role in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj, he had an opportunity to appoint a leader from the PDA communities as the Leader of Opposition, but chose not to do so,” Pathak said.

The Samajwadi Party, however, has rejected the criticism. Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhry said district presidents are selected after taking into account local feedback and assessing who can effectively unite party workers and manage the organisation.

Political analysts say the SP’s dependence on the Yadav-Muslim base is not surprising. Senior journalist Brajesh Shukla said the party’s organisational structure has historically reflected its core support base.

He added that while the party has tried to broaden its social outreach by giving more electoral tickets to non-Yadav OBCs and other communities in recent elections, maintaining the loyalty of its traditional base remains crucial.

According to analysts, it remains to be seen whether the PDA formula that worked in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections can sustain momentum in the run-up to the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, especially as other parties also attempt to mobilise backward and Dalit communities.