The Samajwadi Party mobilized PDA voters by highlighting their absence from the governance structure

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. File | Photo credit: PTI

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav will hold a series of ‘PDA audit’ press conferences highlighting the alleged marginalization of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and minorities in various government services and at various levels of governance and power structures in Uttar Pradesh. Press conferences will also be held at the district and local levels, party leaders told The Hindu.

The aim of the audit is to highlight the discrimination these social groups face when officials are selected for important posts such as District Magistrate (DM) and Superintendent of Police (SP). The first such conference will be held on May 20 in Lucknow and is titled ‘Samajwadi PDA audit’. PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpasankhyak) stands for Backwards, Dalit and Minorities, which is SP’s broader plan to mobilize support among these social groups. The SP is pushing hard for deeper penetration into these groups.

According to Alok Ranjan, former UP Chief Secretary and close confidant of the SP President, “The purpose of the PDA audit is to determine the actual representation of PDAs in various government services and at different levels and also to find out whether PDA has been discriminated against in important posts such as District Magistrate (DM), Inspector of Police (SP), Deputy Station Master (SHO) and Block Development Superintendent Office, SHO) (BDO) is often used as a mechanism to deny reservation in recruitment.”

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of discriminating against backward, dalit and minority employees, the SP said that through these conferences, the party sensitizes and educates marginalized groups at the village and district levels about how their rights are being denied. “After Wednesday’s conference, we will raise the question to the masses as to how PDA is facing discrimination from the BJP government. We have always demanded a share in the power structure according to population strength, but the current government has suppressed PDA,” said Sunil Singh Yadav ‘Sajan’, SP spokesperson.

Published – 18 May 2026 21:46 IST