Akhilesh Yadav’s PDA on verge of collapse as Samajwadi Party fails to keep flock together

Lucknow: In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the pre-poll alliance of the Samajwadi Party (SP) is facing internal turmoil as its allies from the Pichchra (backward), Dalit, and Alpsankhyak (minority), collectively referred to as PDA, find themselves at odds with the leadership.

The rift within the alliance initially began over participation in the elections of the Legislative Council and further widened with the recent defection of Omprakash Rajbhar to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

These developments highlight the urgent need for the Samajwadi Party to adopt a better strategy if it aims to overcome these challenges. Before the assembly elections, the SP managed to secure the support of three influential ministers from Yogi’s first government: Dara Singh Chauhan, Swami Prasad Maurya, and Dharam Singh Saini.

Additionally, six Suheldev Bahujan Samaj Party (SBSP) MLAs and eight MLAs from RLD joined the alliance. The SBSP and RLD contested 18 and 33 seats respectively, under the alliance.

Om Prakash Rajbhar, a prominent leader of SBSP, had requested a seat in the Rajya Sabha, the election of which was held in May 2022. However, the SP leadership neither granted his request nor made any efforts to convince him or offer assurances for the future. This led Rajbhar to show signs of diverging from the alliance. Moreover, Rajbhar became increasingly disgruntled when Akhilesh decided to send Jayant Chaudhary to the Rajya Sabha, as Rajbhar believed his party’s performance in the assembly elections surpassed that of RLD. Rajbhar argued that he should have been given priority for a Rajya Sabha seat.

Shortly after the Rajya Sabha elections, the Legislative Council elections were held in June-July. Rajbhar sought a seat for himself and proposed one for Keshav Dev Maurya, a member of Mahan Dal. Although the SP was in position to win four seats in the Legislative Council, they once again dismissed Rajbhar’s proposals. This repeated disregard for his requests, as well as the exclusion of Keshav Dev Maurya, led to the collapse of the alliance. Surprisingly, instead of trying to persuade Keshav Dev, the SP demanded the return of an SUV car that had been provided to him for the election campaign.

After the Legislative Council elections, Rajbhar showed his rebellious attitude towards the alliance and indications were clear that he might move out of the alliance. A SBSP leader however says that even before the assembly elections, it was anticipated that Rajbhar would leave the alliance if the government under Akhilesh’s leadership failed to materialise in Uttar Pradesh.

Similarly, Dara Singh Chauhan joined the SP during the assembly elections, believing that the BJP’s popularity was waning. However, following the electoral outcome, he began seeking a return to the BJP.

These developments raise concerns that more SP leaders may switch sides, prompting the need for the party leadership to learn from past mistakes and take decisive action.

As the Lok Sabha elections draw near, the SP faces an uphill battle in maintaining the unity of its pre-poll alliance. The party leadership must urgently address the concerns of its allies within the PDA and devise a cohesive strategy to counter these challenges.

Failure to do so may lead to further disintegration of the alliance and have serious implications for the SP’s electoral prospects.