The PDA Experiment: Uniting Red, Green, and Blue in UP
Uttar Pradesh: The Epicenter of Indian Politics
Uttar Pradesh has always been a state that is very important in India. It is the state that provided most number of prime ministers. It is also a state which has the largest population and so the largest number of Lok Sabha seats and Vidhan Sabha seats. Uttarakhand was carved out of this state. BSP leader Mayawati had proposed it to be further divided into four states. Politically it a very important state for the BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party.
Behind the Scenes: RSS Shield, Ambition, and Friction in UP BJP
Recently, I read a piece in Indian Express which talked about the differences in the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh. The deputy chief ministers are up in arms against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and they are very keen to replace him. When I have any doubt about the UP politics, I usually check with my friend Hanumantha Rao, an accomplished journalist who has been working in UP for about four decades. Though he belongs to Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh he settled down in Lucknow working for various media houses. When I asked him to enlighten me on the latest turn of events in UP, he gave me an idea. His message was: “The central leadership is not very comfortable with Yogi…moreover the two Dy. CMs have also their political ambitions…On the other hand Yogi too has positioned himself well…So it is a battle between the powerful leaders among themselves in UP…. But, as on date Yogi has upper hand in state as he has backing of the RSS.”
Expanding the Palette: Akhilesh’s Strategic Shift to Blue
While it is important for the BJP to be united to retain power in the Assembly elections next year, the politician to be watched is Akhilesh Yadav, the resourceful former chief minister and son of Mulayam Singh, the founder of Samajwadi Party. For decades, the SP has been promoting two colours – red and green. Its leaders in red caps, often riding the party symbol bicycle became one of the defining visual signatures in UP politics. Now, the party president Akhilesh Yadav is adding a new colour- blue. He introduced blue T-shirts and jeans as the new uniform for members of the Samajwadi Chaatra Sabha, the party’s student wing. Blue is linked with Ambedkar, the Constitution, the democracy, the Bahujan movement, social justice, Dalit movement and resistance to injustice. The idea is to court the Dalit voters who have been with Mayawati and her BSP and add the blue colour to the existing support base comprising red and green, the symbols of Yadavs and farmers. Mayawati has transformed Dalit identity into electoral force for decades. Her party’s blue flag and her politics are almost inseparable.
Akhilesh’s Broadening Umbrella: Pichde, Dalit, Alpasankhyak, and Pandits
However, the decline of the BSP in electoral performance has created political vacuum in Dalit voters’ space. For instance, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls while the SP won 37 seats in UP the BSP could not win a single seat. Akhilesh has been canvassing his PDA- Pichde (Backwards), Dalit, Alpasankhyak (Minorities) coalition where the P now stands for Pichde and Pandits (Brahmins) as well. This has become an alternative electoral formula for the BJP’s electoral machine. Yogi Adityanath has come to represent Kshatriya community. But it is a very delicate issue for Akhilesh. He has to take care that he is not antagonizing Mayawati in his aspiration to win Dalit support. It is also important for Akhilesh to impress upon Dalits that his party would protect their interests without diluting their separate identity.
Targeting Non-Jatav Votes: The Rise of Baba Saheb Vahini
While Akhilesh asserted that blue is added to SP colours in an inclusive manner, the BSP has criticized that it is a move to appropriate Dalit votes. Akhilesh Yadav had changed his electoral strategy in 2022. He realized that Yadav, Muslim combination alone does not suffice to bring SP into power. Yadavs are 10 percent of UP population and Muslims comprise a solid 20 percent. These two groups together have 30 percent which is not sufficient to win. Akhilesh has been looking for votes beyond this combination. While Jatav community among Dalits is dedicated to Mayawati, Akhilesh has been trying to win over non-Jatav Dalits since 2022 when he floated Baba Sahib Vahini to invite the Dalit youth into his fold.
Origin of the Cap and Colors
The red caps are associated with socialists. It was Mulayam, a socialist, who founded Samajwadi Party in 1992. He asked the youth wing of his party in 1992 to wear red caps and green shirts. Green is the colour of farmers. In 2021 before the Assembly elections speaking at a Gorakhpur rally Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called the persons wearing red caps as red alert. He called them corrupt and illegal occupants. “They (those who wear red caps) are lenient towards terrorists,” the PM alleged. Akhilesh rebutted the criticism saying that his party’s red cap is a red alert to the BJP. He said unemployment, inflation and farmers’ problems are the real issues bothering the BJP. March 15 is the birthday of BSP founder Kansi Ram. When that day was celebrated as ‘PDA Diwas’ by the SP, Mayawati had objected to it saying the SP is using the BSP icons to appropriate Dalit votes.
Youth, Gen Z, and Coalition Arithmetic
According to a survey done by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) – Lokniti combine, at the behest of the BJP after SP got 37 seats in 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it was revealed that the SP was benefited by the consolidation of Yadav and Muslim votes besides getting a considerable chunk of non-Jatav Dalit votes. The data showed that 92 percent of Muslims, 82 percent of Yadavs and 56 percent of the non-Jatav Dalits and 25 percent of Jatav Dalits also had voted for the India bloc. Akhilesh’s projection is to present SP as a party of youngsters and youth aspirations attracting Gen Z cadres.
High Stakes in Lucknow: Between Social Coalitions and Poll Mechanics
However, colour symbolism alone is unlikely to determine electoral choices. The BSP continues to have an established political association with blue among its core supporters, while the SP will have to demonstrate that its outreach to Dalits is backed by organisational representation, leadership opportunities and issues affecting the community. The SP has already started a campaign on government schools and their poor conditions. It has organized PDA Pathasala before 26,000 primary schools which have been closed by the BJP government. Akhilesh Yadav recently met Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenor and spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka in Lucknow. Earlier the SP supported the CJP-backed protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
Akhilesh is considered to be a creative young politician who is fighting the BJP which is entrenched in UP. If the BJP continues with its quarrels among the top politicians, it might benefit the SP. If the Muslims, Yadavs and Dalits vote on the same pattern as they voted in 2024 Lok Sabha elections, SP can hope to win the 2027 Vidhan Sabha elections. There appears to be a division among the Brahmins also with one group supporting the SP. It all depends on the popularity graph of PM Modi. If he continues to be as popular as he was during the 2022 elections, the BJP has chances of keeping the power. If what is rumoured about the PM’s popularity being reduced as in 2024 the SP has chances of coming to power. What happened in SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of voters list during which almost three crore of votes have been removed, the election result could be as designed by the Election Commission. Over all, it is unpredictable. Will the blue gamble by Akhilesh pay or not depends on so many factors.
Prominent Journalist
Dr. K. Ramachandra Murthy is a versatile journalist with a distinguished career. Dr. Murthy began his extensive career with Andhra Prabha of The Indian Express group in Bengaluru. He was editor of Udayam, Vaartha and Andhra Jyothy. Dr. Murthy founded and edited HMTV news channel and The Hans India, an English newspaper. He was also editorial director of the Telugu newspaper, Saakshi. He was awarded Ph. D for his research work in rural reporting. Dr. Murthy’s five decades in journalism showcases his influential roles across both print and electronic media. He wrote the political biography of NTR published by Harper Collins.
Email: murthykondubhatla@gmail.com
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