Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, launched the party's PDA (Backward Classes, Dalits and Minorities) rath campaign from the SP headquarters in Lucknow, flagging off a fleet of campaign vehicles aimed at mobilising support ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2027. Using the occasion of Dussehra, Yadav framed the campaign as a battle against 'evil', with Uttar Pradesh as its starting point.

The PDA Campaign Launch

The flag-off was preceded by a ceremonial coconut-breaking ritual, accompanied by conch-blowing and the chanting of mantras — a deliberate symbolic framing on the occasion of Dussehra. The campaign vehicles are designed to reach young people, marginalised communities and those seeking what the party describes as justice and constitutional rights. Yadav announced that the SP would release its formal manifesto on 26 November — Constitution Day — signalling the party's intent to anchor its electoral platform in constitutional values and social justice.

Yadav's Dussehra Message and BJP Attacks

'Today, we should resolve to eradicate evil from this land forever. The initiative should begin in Uttar Pradesh,' Yadav said, extending Dussehra greetings to the state. Invoking Lord Ram, he argued that Ram Rajya and socialism were complementary ideals, and drew a sharp distinction: 'Those who bring goodness to the world are Sanatanis, while those who do evil are fake Sanatanis.' He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of undermining social justice, people's rights, and democratic institutions. He further alleged that the BJP had misused Artificial Intelligence (AI), claiming that a video depicting him as Ravana had been circulated by the party early on Tuesday morning.

Electoral Roll Vigilance and EC Accountability

Yadav called the monitoring of electoral roll revision a top priority, asserting that the party could not win the political battle without first ensuring accurate voter lists. He directed party workers to verify entries and remain alert throughout the revision process and up to the nomination stage. He also questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s handling of alleged duplicate voter entries, claiming that officials responsible for irregularities were not being held accountable.

Detentions, Civic Issues and Seat-Sharing Barbs

The SP chief demanded the release of Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and others, whom he claimed had been 'unnecessarily detained', alleging that the BJP was using pressure to keep them behind bars. He also raised civic concerns including waterlogging in Lucknow, the state of the education system, and food adulteration, accusing the BJP of pursuing divisive politics. On the question of alliance arithmetic, Yadav pointedly asked how many seats the BJP would allocate to its partner, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), and how it planned to accommodate other allies — arguing the BJP feared losing its political foothold in Uttar Pradesh.

Road to 2027: What the Launch Signals

The PDA campaign is the SP's most structured pre-election outreach since the 2022 cycle, with the party targeting three overlapping constituencies — backward classes, Dalits and minorities — that together represent a significant share of UP's electorate. The choice of Dussehra, a high-visibility occasion, and the manifesto announcement on Constitution Day are both deliberate positioning moves. With the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections now within the campaign horizon, the SP's early mobilisation puts pressure on rival parties to accelerate their own ground operations.