BJP ministers slam SP over 2027 manifesto plan, cite Dalit neglect record
Synopsis
Akhilesh Yadav chose Constitution Day — 26 November — to unveil the SP’s 2027 election manifesto, framing it around the PDA coalition. The BJP’s instant, multi-minister pushback — targeting his law-and-order record, Ambedkar legacy, and even his absence from Kannauj — shows just how fiercely both parties will contest the Dalit and OBC vote heading into what could be the most consequential UP election in a decade.
Key Takeaways
Akhilesh Yadav announced the SP’s ‘Jan-Man Manifesto’ for the 2027 UP Assembly elections will be released on Constitution Day, 26 November 2026 .
Multiple BJP ministers attacked the announcement, accusing the SP of neglecting Dalit and backward communities during its tenure.
Minister Daya Shankar Singh demanded the SP first rule out an alliance with Congress before invoking the Constitution.
Minister Asim Arun , the Kannauj MLA, alleged Yadav is ‘mostly absent from the ground’ in his own parliamentary constituency.
BJP MLA Nand Kishor Gurjar accused the SP of having renamed Kannauj Medical College — originally named after Dr B.R.
Ambedkar — and of a history of disrespecting Ambedkar’s legacy.
The BJP claimed it would win the UP state government for a third consecutive term in 2027.
Uttar Pradesh ministers from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, 19 October 2026, launched a coordinated attack on Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav after he announced that the SP would release its manifesto for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on Constitution Day, 26 November 2026. The BJP ministers accused the SP of failing Dalit, backward, and marginalised communities during its years in power, and questioned the party's credibility to invoke the Constitution.
Yadav's Announcement and the BJP's Response
In a post on X, Yadav wrote, “The Resolve of ’27: The PDA’s Manifesto. On the sacred democratic occasion of ‘Constitution Day’ on November 26, 2026, we will release the ‘Jan-Man Manifesto’.” The announcement — framing the SP’s pre-election document around its PDA (Pichda, Dalit, Alpasankhyak) coalition pitch — drew an immediate and sharp reaction from multiple ministers in the Yogi Adityanath-led state government.
Ministers Attack SP's Governance Record
Minister Danish Azad alleged that the SP had lost its political base in Uttar Pradesh and had no record of achievements to present. “The SP has lost its base in UP. It makes baseless statements as they have nothing to show. They should present a report card of the time when SP was in power in the state. They should reveal how crime was rampant during their time. The law and order situation, corruption, job scams and women’s safety were grave concerns during the SP’s tenure,” Azad said.
Minister Daya Shankar Singh focused his criticism on the choice of Constitution Day as a backdrop, insisting the SP should first clarify its alliance position. “On Constitution Day, if they are going to release a manifesto, they should first announce that they will not form an alliance with the Congress, which has weakened the Constitution and democracy the most,” Singh said. He further alleged that “the Samajwadi Party was founded in support of democracy, while the Congress, by imposing the Emergency, had murdered democracy.”
Singh also turned his fire on the SP’s PDA slogan, claiming, “There is nothing called PDA. PDA only stands for ‘Parivar Development Authority’. It is all about the family and nothing beyond that.” He argued that unlike the BJP, no SP worker from outside the ruling family could aspire to become Chief Minister.
Kannauj MLA Challenges Yadav's Ground Presence
Social Welfare Minister Asim Arun, who represents Kannauj in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly — the same constituency that elected Akhilesh Yadav to Parliament — questioned the SP chief’s connect with local voters. “I am the MLA from Kannauj and have seen closely how the people of this place are now regretting that they elected Akhilesh Yadav to the Parliament, as he is mostly absent from the ground,” Arun said, adding that any manifesto would need to credibly address law and order, “which was in ruins when the SP was in power.”
BJP Leaders Question SP's Ambedkar Record
Minister of State for Sports and Youth Welfare Girish Chandra Yadav dismissed the PDA campaign as performative. “PDA is just for show. They don’t really care about the backwards and Dalit communities. The people of the state have all faith in the leadership of PM Modi and CM Yogi. The BJP will form a government in the state for the third time,” he said.
BJP MLA Nand Kishor Gurjar went further, accusing the SP of historically disrespecting Dr B.R. Ambedkar. “Akhilesh is talking about the Constitution, which is a joke in itself. Those who called Babasaheb Ambedkar a land mafia would have killed Dalit leader and ‘messiah’ Behen Kumari Mayawati if we had not been BJP workers. Those who changed the name of Kannauj Medical College, which was named after Babasaheb Ambedkar, and who have always been against the architect of the Constitution, are now talking about Constitution Day. This is, in a way, both laughable and infuriating,” Gurjar said.
What This Signals for 2027
The BJP’s coordinated pushback underscores how central the Dalit and OBC vote bloc will be to the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The SP’s decision to time its manifesto release to Constitution Day — a date deeply associated with Dr Ambedkar’s legacy — is a deliberate signal to PDA communities, and the BJP’s swift response suggests it is unwilling to cede that symbolic ground. With roughly 403 Assembly seats at stake, the battle for the narrative around social justice and backward-community welfare is already well under way, more than a year before polling.
Point of View
And the SP’s attempt to claim it as the backdrop for a PDA-framed manifesto is a direct threat to the BJP’s OBC-Dalit consolidation. What is notable is the personalisation: attacking Yadav’s absence from Kannauj, questioning his family-first internal culture, and relitigating a medical college renaming all point to a campaign that will fight every inch of the symbolic terrain. The risk for the SP is that a manifesto launch, however well-timed, cannot substitute for a credible governance narrative — and the BJP knows it will remind voters of that gap at every turn.
NationPress
19 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the Samajwadi Party release its 2027 UP election manifesto?
The SP has announced it will release its ‘Jan-Man Manifesto’ for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on 26 November 2026, which is observed as Constitution Day in India. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav made the announcement in a post on X.
Why did BJP ministers criticise the SP’s Constitution Day manifesto announcement?
BJP ministers argued the SP has no credibility to invoke the Constitution, citing allegations of poor law and order, corruption, and neglect of Dalit and backward communities during the SP’s time in power. They also accused the party of historically disrespecting Dr B.R. Ambedkar, whose legacy is central to Constitution Day.
What is the SP’s PDA coalition?
PDA stands for Pichda (backward classes), Dalit, and Alpasankhyak (minorities) — a social coalition the SP is using as its primary electoral pitch for the 2027 UP polls. BJP ministers have dismissed it as a slogan, with one alleging it really stands for ‘Parivar Development Authority,’ implying the party serves only the Yadav family’s interests.
Who is Asim Arun and why is his criticism significant?
Asim Arun is the Social Welfare Minister and BJP MLA from Kannauj — the same constituency that sent Akhilesh Yadav to Parliament. His claim that Kannauj residents regret voting for Yadav, who is ‘mostly absent from the ground,’ carries symbolic weight given that it directly challenges the SP chief in his own parliamentary constituency.
What is the significance of Constitution Day for the 2027 UP election campaign?
Constitution Day on 26 November marks the adoption of India’s Constitution in 1949 and is closely associated with Dr B.R. Ambedkar, a revered figure among Dalit and OBC communities. By choosing this date to release its manifesto, the SP is signalling its intent to contest BJP’s claim on Ambedkar’s legacy — making it a politically charged choice with direct implications for the Dalit and backward vote in the 403-seat UP Assembly.
