It was before the Ghosi Assembly bypoll in Uttar Pradesh last year that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav first gave the slogan ‘Abki Baar Pichhda Dalit Alpsankhyak (PDA) Sarkaar’. Little did the political observers know then that the slogan given in UP’s Mau district would end up in the biggest anti-climax in Indian election history. The PDA formula has turned out to be a game-changer, propelling the SP tally from five seats in the 2019 elections to 37 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
“The Ghosi bypoll played an important role in defining the SP’s success in 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” said Shashikant Pandey, HoD of Political Science at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow.
The Ghosi bypoll was necessitated last year after sitting MLA Dara Singh Chauhan quit the Samajwadi Party and joined the BJP. “Ghosi bypoll acted as a testing ground for the PDA plank and the INDIA bloc,” pointed out Pandey.
The PDA formula proved to be a hit in the bypoll and SP candidate Sudhakar Singh registered a thumping win by defeating turncoat Dara Singh Chauhan who contested on a BJP ticket. The victory margin was more than 25,000 votes. It was then that the Samajwadi Party decided to apply the PDA poll plank in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
The PDA Formula
The Pichhda Dalit Alpsankhyak (PDA) has been seen as the SP’s attempt to woo traditional Dalit voters who have been Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) voters.
“SP’s good show in the Ghosi seat, which is said to be OBC, SC and ST dominating seat, gave a boost to party morale. The party decided to play the ‘PDA formula’ in the 2024 polls, portraying itself as PDA sympathizers,” Pandey said.
“In Ghosi bypoll, the BSP backed out and hence its traditional Dalit vote bank diverted towards the SP, leading to its victory. Hence, by applying the PDA formula, the SP made an attempt to expand its vote base from Muslims-Yadavs to Other Backward Castes (OBCs), Dalits and others,” added Pandey.
As a result, the party also changed its ticket distribution strategy. “Unlike 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when it gave tickets to 12 and 10 candidates from Yadav community, respectively, this time the SP gave given tickets to just five candidates from the Yadav community. Twenty-seven tickets were given to OBC candidates, 11 tickets to those who belong to the Upper Caste, and 15 were given to those who belong to the Dalit community. Four tickets went to Muslim candidates.
When Akhilesh Yadav spoke about the PDA strategy just before general elections, not many understood its political significance. That is until it started creating a buzz.
Party sources told News18 that this time the SP conducted many in-house exercises that aimed at three things – first, avoid any rift in the INDIA bloc; second, make the party cadre aware of the PDA formula and the party’s strategy; third, caution the masses against RSS and BJP ideology.
“We held a series of ‘cadre strengthening’ and ‘booth management’ workshops. The party also organized a two-day cadre training camp at Naimisharanya in Sitapur district and gave a fresh slogan –‘Assi Haraao, BJP Hatao’ (Defeat BJP on All 80 Seats).
SP national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, while referring to the BJP as ‘asuras’ (demons), had called the training camp the “beginning of the destruction of the BJP”. He said the party shortlisted under-40 representatives to impart special training to connect the youth with the Samajwadi Party.
“There will be auspiciousness on Tuesday, 4 June…! INDIA team and PDA’s strategy is going to win,” Akhilesh Yadav posted on X on June 1.
The SP’s previous best in Lok Sabha elections was 36 in 2004 when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance won the mandate.
The SP’s 2024 showing has already set political circles abuzz of how the PDA factor would come into play in the 2027 state elections when Yogi Adityanath would seek a third term.
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