Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national president Mayawati on Friday, 2 October launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its chief Akhilesh Yadav, accusing the party of entrenching nepotism and money-driven politics while falsely projecting itself as a champion of socialism and the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) alliance. The broadside came after the SP filed nominations for Professor Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani on 30 September for the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh.

The Rajya Sabha Nominees at the Centre of the Row

Mayawati trained her fire specifically on the SP's two declared candidates. She described Ram Gopal Yadav as a close relative of Akhilesh Yadav, framing his renomination as a textbook case of what she called the party's 'dual policy'. The second nominee, Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, was characterised by her as a member of a prominent business family — a choice she argued exposed the SP's dependence on big-capital patronage. Mayawati also suggested that the SP's prospective third candidate, as in previous election cycles, could be a 'face-saving' pick with little realistic chance of winning.

What Mayawati Said on X

In a post on social media platform X, Mayawati drew a pointed contrast between the BSP's candidate selection process and that of rival parties. 'The BSP, unlike opposition parties, especially the Samajwadi Party, does not give tickets to family members, relatives, siblings, nephews or close associates, or particularly to big capitalists and wealthy individuals in any election. It does not depend on their financial power. Instead, it nominates hardworking Ambedkarite individuals from poor, middle-class and weaker sections as candidates,' she said in her post.

Broader Accusation: PDA Politics as 'Deception'

Mayawati went further, alleging that the SP exploits the votes of Dalit, backward and minority communities during elections while ensuring its parliamentary representation remains dominated by family members and wealthy donors. 'This is the nature of the SP, its PDA and its socialism. The SP needs the votes of the PDA during elections, but its MPs and MLAs are largely elected by members of its own family and big capitalists,' she said. She accused the party of 'political pretence and deception' — charges the SP has not yet formally responded to.

BSP's Appeal to Bahujan Communities Ahead of UP Polls

The attack carried an unmistakable pre-election undertone. Mayawati appealed directly to Dalits, Adivasis, most backward classes, Muslims and other religious minorities — as well as poor sections of upper-caste communities — to remain 'alert and cautious' in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly general elections. 'The poor from upper-caste society and the entire Bahujan Samaj should now become fully alert and cautious that their interests lie and are secure only in the Ambedkarite BSP; everything else is nothing but deception,' she stated. This comes amid intense competition for Dalit and OBC votes between the BSP and SP — communities that together constitute a decisive share of UP's electorate.

Context: BSP-SP Rivalry and the PDA Framing

The BSP-SP relationship has oscillated between alliance and acrimony over three decades of UP politics. The SP's articulation of a PDA coalition — encompassing backward classes, Dalits, and minorities — is widely seen as a direct challenge to the BSP's core voter base. Mayawati's latest offensive signals that the BSP intends to contest that framing aggressively, positioning itself as the authentic Ambedkarite vehicle rather than a junior partner in any opposition bloc. Notably, this is not the first time Mayawati has accused the SP of using Dalit and backward-class rhetoric as electoral cover while fielding family members and industrialists in winnable seats.