Akhilesh Yadav distorts PDA formula with SP's Rajya Sabha picks: O.P. Rajbhar
Synopsis
Om Prakash Rajbhar has torn into Akhilesh Yadav's flagship PDA formula, declaring it now stands for 'Parivaar, Daulat, Apradhi' — family, wealth, and criminals — based on the SP's Rajya Sabha nominees. The attack lands just weeks before the 16 October UP elections and signals a fracture in the non-BJP opposition space that the ruling alliance is likely to exploit.
Key Takeaways
SBSP President Om Prakash Rajbhar on 1 October 2026 accused Akhilesh Yadav of distorting the SP's PDA (Pichhda, Dalits, Alpsankhyak) formula with Rajya Sabha nominations.
Rajbhar rebranded SP's PDA as 'Parivaar, Daulat, Apradhi' (family, wealth, criminal), targeting nominees Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Nathwani .
Ram Gopal Yadav , cousin of the late Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle of Akhilesh Yadav , filed his Rajya Sabha nomination on 30 September .
Rajbhar alleged the SP has sidelined its own Muslim leaders in the nomination process.
The Election Commission of India has scheduled elections for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in UP on 16 October 2026 ; sitting members' terms end on 25 November .
Rajbhar also warned the SP against contesting a third seat, calling it an unnecessary electoral risk.
Uttar Pradesh Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) President Om Prakash Rajbhar on Thursday, 1 October 2026, accused Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav of repeatedly redefining the PDA (Pichhda, Dalits, Alpsankhyak) coalition framework to suit his party's Rajya Sabha candidate selections in Uttar Pradesh. Rajbhar's sharp criticism came a day after the SP filed nominations for two candidates ahead of the biennial elections for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in the state.
The 'New PDA' Allegation
Rajbhar argued that the SP's nominations exposed a deliberate distortion of the PDA acronym. Akhilesh Yadav originally coined PDA as a political shorthand for backward classes (Pichhda), Dalits, and minorities/Muslims (Alpsankhyak) — a social coalition meant to consolidate non-upper-caste voters behind the SP.
'Akhilesh Yadav keeps changing the PDA formula from time to time. Yesterday, he came up with the formula of a PDA family. 'P' now stands for 'Parivaar',' Rajbhar said, in a pointed reference to Ram Gopal Yadav, who filed his nomination on Wednesday, 30 September. Notably, Ram Gopal Yadav is the cousin of the late Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle to Akhilesh Yadav himself.
Rajbhar then extended the taunt: 'D' now stood for 'Daulat' (wealth), a reference to the second candidate Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, whom he described as affluent. 'Now, only 'A' remains, and he will bring in some criminal to represent it. The new PDA formula stands for 'Parivaar', 'Daulat' and 'Apradhi',' he added.
Rajbhar's Jab at SP's Muslim Leadership
Going further, the SBSP chief alleged that Akhilesh Yadav had insulted Muslim leaders within his own party by sidelining them in the Rajya Sabha nominations. 'To the Muslim leaders of his party — Loaders not leaders of the Samajwadi Party — Akhilesh ji has thrown a shoe at them,' Rajbhar said, using a colloquial idiom for deep disrespect.
This comes amid recurring criticism from minority community leaders across several opposition parties that their representation in ticket allocation and Upper House nominations remains symbolic rather than substantive.
The BJP Connection Barb
Rajbhar also took a veiled swipe at what he described as an indirect link between the SP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 'If the father (Akhilesh Yadav) is a BJP's Rajya Sabha MP then the son (Akhilesh Yadav) will be too,' he claimed — an allusion, reportedly, to family ties with sitting or former members associated with the ruling party. He also alleged that Akhilesh Yadav had warned internal party voices against dissent, threatening expulsion.
Rajya Sabha Elections: The Context
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on 22 September that elections for 11 Rajya Sabha seats — 10 from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand — would be held on 16 October. The sitting members' terms are scheduled to end on 25 November. The poll panel has separately announced a bye-election for a Rajya Sabha seat in West Bengal.
On Wednesday, the SP's two nominees — Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Nathwani — filed their papers, with SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav and senior leader Shivpal Yadav present. Rajbhar had earlier, on social media, asked pointedly: 'Akhilesh ji, I have heard that you are going to field three candidates for the Rajya Sabha. Tell me, will all three be from your PDA or not?' He also cautioned the SP against overreaching by contesting a third seat and risking its safer two.
With the 16 October polling date approaching, the seat-sharing arithmetic and candidate optics in Uttar Pradesh's Rajya Sabha contest are set to intensify as opposition alliances face fresh stress-tests.
Point of View
A BJP ally, has every incentive to widen cracks in the SP's backward-Dalit-Muslim coalition before a high-stakes Rajya Sabha contest. But the critique carries a genuine sting: fielding a family member and a reportedly affluent businessman as Rajya Sabha nominees does put the PDA narrative under pressure, because voters who responded to identity-based outreach will notice the gap between rhetoric and representation. The SP's silence on who the 'A' candidate will be only prolongs the story. More broadly, the episode reflects a recurring tension in Indian coalition politics — parties build coalitions on social justice language and then allocate elite slots through patronage networks. Whether Rajbhar's charges change electoral arithmetic or merely score a news cycle is what the next few days will clarify.
NationPress
1 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PDA formula and why is it controversial?
PDA stands for Pichhda (backward classes), Dalits, and Alpsankhyak (minorities), a social coalition strategy coined by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to consolidate non-upper-caste voters. It has become controversial after SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar alleged that the SP's Rajya Sabha nominees — a family member and a wealthy industrialist — contradict the inclusive promise of the PDA framework.
Who are the SP's Rajya Sabha nominees from Uttar Pradesh?
The Samajwadi Party has nominated Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Nathwani for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh. Ram Gopal Yadav is the cousin of the late Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle of Akhilesh Yadav; both candidates filed their nomination papers on 30 September 2026.
When are the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh?
The Election Commission of India has scheduled elections for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh on 16 October 2026. The sitting members' terms are set to expire on 25 November 2026.
Why did Rajbhar accuse Akhilesh Yadav of insulting Muslim leaders?
Rajbhar alleged that by not fielding a Muslim candidate in its Rajya Sabha nominations, the SP has effectively sidelined its own Muslim leadership, describing them as 'loaders, not leaders.' He used the idiom of throwing a shoe — connoting deep disrespect — to characterise Akhilesh Yadav's treatment of minority voices within the party.
What is the SBSP and what is its political alignment?
The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) is a Uttar Pradesh-based party led by Om Prakash Rajbhar, a state minister who represents backward-caste communities. The SBSP is currently aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Uttar Pradesh, making Rajbhar's attack on the SP part of the broader BJP-alliance political contest ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.
