BJP govt stole PDA reservation in UP, claims Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is weakening the reservation system, adding that candidates from marginalized sections like Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC) and minorities are not getting their due share in recruitment exercises.

Mr Yadav, who released the ‘Samajwadi Audit Report’ on the embezzlement of reservation quotas, further alleged that fraud and corruption plagued recruitment processes under the BJP government.

The audit report detailed the alleged failure of reservation rules in 22 different recruitment drives, including the recruitment of 69,000 teachers, forest and wildlife guards, Banda Agriculture University recruitment, Masters and Principals of Aided Junior High Schools, Village Panchayat Officers, Eye Tests, Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services, LampurnoUP Staff Selection Board Veterinarians, Lekhpals (Finance Officers), Health and Education officers, Ayurvedic doctors and Agricultural Technical Assistants.

“PDA is not getting its rights under BJP rule,” Mr. Yadav said. PDA (Pichhda, Dalit and Alpasankhyak) stands for OBC, Dalits and Minorities.

“In the recruitment process of 69,000 teachers, students belonging to backward classes were entitled to a constitutionally mandated reservation of 27%, but received only 3.86%, representing a misappropriation of 23.14% of their reserved quota. Similarly, while the reservation quota for Scheduled Castes, who received only 11%, they received only 21.22%, Recruitment of 69,000 teachers – which means embezzlement of 4.8% of their quota,” Mr. Yadav said at a press conference titled “Samajwadi Audit Report”.

“Even the National Commission for Backward Classes has acknowledged the fraud involving 20,000 posts in this teacher recruitment process. Moreover, during the 2022 UP elections, the government itself admitted to misappropriation of reservation quotas in teacher recruitment and subsequently released another selection list containing 6,800 posts. In a particularly heinous act of Sch3, the government reserved B13, B13 (ST) unfilled,” he added.

In all, Mr. Yadav claimed that more than 11,514 reserved category seats were not given to candidates belonging to these reserved groups during the 22 examinations. During the parting, the SP chief alleged that 88 posts were not filled as per reservation rules in the recruitment of Forest/Wild Guards, while in the recruitment of Gram Panchayat Officers, 232 posts did not follow the reservation criteria, 547 posts were not filled as per the rules in the recruitment of Junior High Masters/Headmasters and there were irregularities in the recruitment of Lekhpal.

Mr. Yadav added that candidates from the 69,000 teacher recruitment knocked every door in their quest for justice, yet they did not get any redress under the BJP government.

“Wherever the BJP government has found an opportunity, it has engaged in misappropriation of jobs. Similarly, during university recruitment processes, individuals belonging to reserved categories are excluded by marking them as ‘NFS’ (not found suitable). The BJP government is a regime characterized by both the plundering of reservation rights and data obfuscation,” he further said.

“The Samajwadi Party will continue its fight against the bias and predatory practices of the BJP government. The days of this government are now numbered. After forming the government in 2027, the Samajwadi Party will provide justice to the candidates involved in the recruitment of 69,000 teachers within 90 days and take up the task of leading the social caste and justice of the A Samajwa government awards all,” the SP president added.

The SP further said that the audit is the beginning of a bigger clamor for social justice and will eventually lead to the overthrow of the BJP government. “We will carry the message of injustice against PDA across the villages and blocks of Uttar Pradesh. We will make common people aware of the injustice done by the BJP government and how social justice norms are not followed, BJP will lose power in 2027,” said Sunil Singh Yadav ‘Sajan’, SP spokesperson.

Published – 21 May 2026 06:26 IST