- Uttar Pradesh parties are reshaping strategies ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections
- Samajwadi promotes PDA formula targeting OBCs, Dalits, and minorities beyond Muslim-Yadav base
- BJP focuses on non-Yadav OBCs and SCs with strong leadership and Hindutva messaging
The political landscape of Uttar Pradesh is already witnessing intense recalibration as parties begin preparing for the 2027 Assembly elections. While Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) is attempting to move beyond the Muslim-Yadav (MY) label through its PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) formula, the BJP too has sharpened its focus on non-Yadav OBCs and other key social groups.
In the fierce battle over caste arithmetic, Uttar Pradesh minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) leader Om Prakash Rajbhar has questioned the SP's PDA formula, alleging that non-Yadav OBCs and Dalits continue to face discrimination within the party. Rajbhar has argued that the PDA slogan is largely an electoral strategy and that leaders from these communities do not receive adequate representation or respect within the SP.
At the same time, the BJP and its allies are attempting to consolidate support among these very groups by promoting non-Yadav OBC leadership. The Uttar Pradesh cabinet currently has around 20 OBC ministers. The BJP also relies on allies such as Apna Dal (S) among Kurmis, the NISHAD Party among Nishads, and the SBSP among Rajbhars.
BJP's Latest Move
The BJP's organisational expansion in May focused heavily on non-Yadav OBCs and Scheduled Castes, a move widely seen as an attempt to counter the Samajwadi Party's PDA outreach.
Among those inducted were OBC leaders like Bhupendra Chaudhary, Hansraj Vishwakarma, Kailash Singh Rajput and SC leader Krishna Paswan, reflecting the party's continued emphasis on OBC and SC representation.
Yogi Adityanath expanded his cabinet last month
Advantage Samajwadi?
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the PDA strategy helped the Samajwadi Party register its biggest-ever performance in Uttar Pradesh, winning 37 of the 80 seats.
Of the MPs sent by the SP to Parliament, 25 belonged to OBC communities. Notably, the party fielded only five Yadav candidates in Uttar Pradesh.
The SP-led INDIA bloc staged a strong resurgence, winning 43 Lok Sabha seats in the state, including a high-profile victory in Faizabad, underlining the continued importance of caste equations and alliances in Uttar Pradesh politics.
The Samajwadi Party has also tried to counter the BJP's broader Hindu consolidation strategy.
Akhilesh Yadav is constructing the Kedareshwar Mahadev Temple in Etawah.
Akhilesh Yadav inspects the construction work at Kedareshwar Mahadev Mandir, in Etawah on April 27, 2026
He has frequently referenced Hindu icons such as Swami Vivekananda and taken holy dips at the sangam to emphasise that the party respects Hindu traditions.
On May 27, Akhilesh Yadav claimed that most victims of alleged fake encounters, custodial deaths and bulldozer action belonged to PDA communities.
The party has increased outreach to non-Yadav OBC groups such as Kurmis, Nishads, Lodhis, Rajbhars and Bhars through ticket distribution and organisational appointments.
Akhilesh Yadav has described the Ramcharitmanas as a "cultural constitution" and a great epic.
His remarks on the Ramcharitmanas are being viewed as a significant shift from 2023, when then SP national general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya had sparked controversy by questioning certain verses of the text.
Key Factors Shaping The Contest
1. Battle Of Competing Formulas
The political contest in Uttar Pradesh is increasingly being defined by two competing social coalitions. The Samajwadi Party is attempting to build a broad alliance of OBCs, Dalits and minorities through its PDA formula. The BJP, on the other, has relied on the "80 vs 20" narrative, seeking to consolidate the Hindu vote across caste lines.
2. Efforts To Break Each Other's Coalitions
Both parties are actively trying to weaken the other's support base. The BJP and its allies are targeting non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav Dalits, while the SP is attempting to blunt Hindu consolidation through a softer Hindutva approach, including temple construction and greater emphasis on Hindu cultural symbolism.
3. Challenge Before The PDA Coalition
On paper, the PDA formula covers more than 80 per cent of Uttar Pradesh's population. However, internal contradictions, competing caste interests, non-Yadav OBC grievances, Dalit fragmentation and leadership perception issues make full consolidation difficult.
4. BJP's Relative Advantage In Consolidation
The BJP's strategy of consolidating Hindu voters across caste groups may prove easier to execute than SP's effort to unite multiple social blocs with differing interests. Strong leadership, organisational strength and Hindutva messaging continue to provide the BJP with a significant advantage.
5. The Role Of Floating Voters
The eventual electoral outcome may hinge on floating voters, particularly non-Yadav OBC groups such as Kurmis, Mauryas and Lodhis, as well as non-Jatav Dalit communities, including Pasis, Valmikis and Dhobis.
These groups are not permanently aligned with any one party and are being aggressively courted by both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party.
Despite SP's gains in 2024, the BJP-led alliance continues to enjoy a structural advantage in Uttar Pradesh's caste matrix. While the SP significantly improved its performance and expanded its OBC representation, the BJP and its allies still command a broader social coalition, particularly among non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav Scheduled Castes.
The BJP, which has not fielded any Muslim candidates in the past few elections, appears to be expanding its electoral strategies across caste lines while maintaining Hindu consolidation of the 80-20 formula. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently, in one of his speeches, asserted that no mafia would dare to threaten Hindus, while on the other hand, the party is also reaching out to all communities with welfare schemes.
