NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday alleged that efforts were being made to spread misinformation about the party’s seat-sharing negotiations with the Congress but maintained that such attempts would only strengthen the alliance’s support base among the “PDA” communities.The term “PDA”, coined by Akhilesh Yadav, stands for “Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak”, referring to Other Backward Classes, Dalits and minorities. These groups form a key focus of the SP’s political outreach.Addressing a press conference at the SP headquarters in Lucknow, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister questioned who was putting up the posters and “funding” the campaign. He was referring to a recently installed hoarding in the state capital featuring Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, with the message: “200 seats are our right; UP trusts Rahul Gandhi.”“These objectionable posters have not appeared for the first time. Who is putting them up? Who is spending money on them? Who is running this racket?” Akhilesh Yadav asked.He added that such campaigns would only strengthen the PDA, saying, “The more they put up such posters, spread misinformation and insult others, the stronger the PDA will become.”The Congress has reportedly shared with the SP a list of 175-200 seats it wants to contest in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections scheduled for February-March 2027.Responding to questions about the SP’s alliance with the Congress, Akhilesh Yadav stated that his party’s leaders have experience in bringing political parties together and managing alliances.“Samajwadi Party and all our leaders know how to bring people together. We all have experience in managing alliances. We will strengthen our alliance ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections,” he remarked.
The SP and Congress contested the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in alliance but suffered a setback, with the Akhilesh Yadav-led party winning just 47 of the 403 seats as it was voted out after a single term. The Congress fared worse with only seven seats, while the BJP came to power with a sweeping victory, winning 312 constituencies.In the 2022 assembly elections, the BJP won 255 seats, while the SP secured 111. The Congress managed only two seats, with the SP and Congress contesting separately.However, the two parties reunited for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, winning a combined 43 of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 seats. The SP won 37 constituencies and the Congress six, while the BJP’s tally fell to 33, down from 71 seats in 2014 and 62 in 2019.(With PTI inputs)