Ahead of UP poll, Akhilesh Yadav has a plan. And a message for the Congress

As he launched his party’s UP Assembly election campaign from Raebareli — the Lok Sabha constituency of his alliance partner Rahul Gandhi — Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday clearly spelled out that while the electoral tie-up with the Congress would continue, the seat-sharing agreement would be determined by “winnability”.

Addressing supporters during his PDA Rath Yatra in Raebareli, Akhilesh said, “Gathbandhan bhi hoga, gathbandhan ke saath chalengey bhi… Baat humare liye seat ki nahi hogi, jeetne wali seat ki hogi. Jo jite who seat le le.

(There will be an alliance, and we will contest the elections together as an alliance too. For us, it won’t be about the number of seats, but about the seats that can be won. Whoever can win a seat should get it)." "Whoever can win a seat should get that seat," he asserted.

“We defeated them in 2024 and in 2027 we will work for their (BJP) permanent defeat,” the former CM added. The SP chief also sought to set the social and political line for the next year’s elections, framing the contest as one between the BJP and the SP’s PDA — an acronym the party uses for its social coalition of pichhda (Backwards), Dalits and alpasankhyak (minorities).

Seeking to broaden the PDA by including women, he said, “A in alpasankhyak is — a Muslim, Parsi, Buddhist, Sikh, aur aadhi abaadi bhi hai.” He referred to an alleged incident in Ghazipur involving a Vishwakarma family and also against a Bind youth, saying the SP would work to ensure justice for members of these communities – “be it Vishwakarmas, Lodhs, Pasis”.

He alleged that members of PDA communities were being selectively targeted through administrative action, including the use of bulldozers, while people belonging to communities associated with the ruling establishment were treated differently.

Asserting that the struggle against inequality was continuing, he said the PDA electorate had become conscious of its political strength. “The line is absolutely clear this time.” The SP chief said those pursuing the "bulldozer politics" would not be able to escape the PDA movement, asserting that this time the electoral verdict would not merely defeat them but would "demolish" and permanently eliminate such negative politics.

He linked the 2027 election to the SP’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, saying the party had defeated the BJP in 2024 and would work for its “safaya” in 2027. He also invoked the party's PDA Rath, saying the chariot symbolised the battlefield of Kurukshetra and referred to the Mahabharata and Lord Krishna's teachings in the Bhagavad Gita.

The SP chief also criticised the BJP over alleged demolition of religious structures in Kashi and Saharanpur, accusing it of pursuing communal politics and attempting to weaken social harmony. ‘पीडीए रथ’ की पहली यात्रा में रायबरेली में बात इतने बड़े हार से स्वागत की नहीं है कि उसे क्रेन से उठाया जाए, बात अपनों से मिल रहे बेइंतहा प्यार-मोहब्बत की है।

रायबरेली की जनता और सभी कार्यकर्ताओं, पदाधिकारियों और नेताओं का हार्दिक धन्यवाद! रायबरेली ने सुनिश्चित कर दिया है कि… pic.twitter.com/ISs2Mqh74G — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) September 24, 2026 On the political contest in Raebareli, he referred to the September 17 incident involving SP supporters and BJP-linked workers.

“It used to be said that in Raebareli the contest is between the PDA and BJP, but has it become Lodh versus (CM) Yogi (Adiyanath),” he asked. Referring to students who, according to him, had confronted people associated with the BJP during the recent incident, the SP chief congratulated them and accused the BJP of resorting to “negative politics”.

“While we do positive politics, BJP does negative politics,” he said, alleging that the government uses the administration when it begins to lose political ground.