Samajwadi Party under fire as core M-Y combo dominates party posts despite PDA narrative
LUCKNOW: After the Samajwadi Party's success in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, when it clinched 37 of 80 seats -- the highest ever since its inception in 1989 -- by playing the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak) card, many believed that the party would apply the formula within the organisation too.
It was expected that leaders from the backward classes, Dalits and Muslims would get wider representation in the party structure. However, the current organisational structure tells a different story, reflecting the dominance of the SP's core M-Y combo.
About 70 per cent of the party’s 97 district and metropolitan presidents hail from the Yadav and Muslim communities, often referred to as the M-Y combination. This has raised questions over the actual enforcement of the PDA slogan within the party organisation. The SP has a total of 97 district presidents and metropolitan presidents across 18 divisions of the state.
In Prayagraj, the SP has appointed three presidents for Gangapar, Yamunapar and Prayagraj city. Among them, two are Muslim, and one is a Yadav. Additionally, district presidents and city or metropolitan presidents have been appointed in Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Lucknow, Bareilly, Moradabad, Ramnagar, Shahjahanpur, Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Aligarh, Kanpur, Farrukhabad, Jhansi, Varanasi, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Saharanpur, and Muzaffarnagar.
Out of the 97 posts, the positions for Bijnor and Rampur cities are currently vacant. The last major reshuffle among the SP's district presidents took place on April 7, 2023. At that time, the state leadership was in the hands of Naresh Uttam Patel.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha, when the SP made Naresh Uttam Patel its Lok Sabha candidate, it handed over the reins to Shyam Lal Pal, a most backward face from the OBC community. One reason for this was to counter the Bahujan Samaj Party's move of appointing Vishwanath Pal as its state unit chief.
According to political experts, the SP feared that due to Vishwanath Pal, the Pal (Gaderia) community might distance itself from the party. Although it has been almost two years since Shyam Lal Pal became the state unit chief of SP, he has not been able to bring sweeping changes in the party organisation.
As per senior SP leaders, large-scale reshuffling of district presidents before the assembly elections was expected, but due to SIR, the exercise has been put on the back burner for now.
Though the Yadav population in the state is estimated to be between 8 and 9 per cent, this core vote bank dominates the SP's organisational apparatus. Out of the current 95 district presidents, 44 per cent, that is 42 positions, have gone to Yadavs. Muslims occupy the second place, with 24 places.
Even though the Dalit population in the state is estimated to be 20 to 21 per cent, only three Dalits have been made district presidents.
Unlike during the times of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, there is currently not a single Thakur serving as a district or city president.
Out of the 95 district presidents, only seven persons from the general category have been appointed district chiefs. Among the seven, there are two Brahmins, two Baniyas and one each from the Tyagi and Bengali Kayastha communities.
The SP has comes under attack from its political adversaries for the uneven representation of castes within the party organisation, which contradicts its own PDA narrative.
"SP had achieved success in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with the PDA slogan. Akhilesh Yadav himself reached the Lok Sabha from Kannauj, vacating his assembly seat of Karhal in Mainpuri. He had the opportunity to field a person from the PDA category to replace him in Karhal in the bypoll but he did not and (instead) fielded his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav," said a senior BSP leader.
The PDA slogan was used solely to win votes, the BSP leader added. "Now their PDA narrative stands exposed. People are looking towards BSP with hope. In 2027, Behan Mayawati will become the Chief Minister for the fifth time," he said.
While in western UP the party has relied on Muslims, in Purvanchal, Yadavs dominate. In divisions such as Chitrakoot, Azamgarh, Basti, and Lucknow, the M-Y combination is prevalent.
Taking a dig at the SP, BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said that the party’s PDA model was merely a facade. "Outside the family, they will not give any major responsibility to anyone. Similarly, in the organisation too, they don't look beyond the M-Y equation."
SP spokesperson Udayveer Singh defended the party, saying district presidents are chosen based on the opinion of the people of the district. It is decided on the capability of the person to unite and run the organisation, he said.
"As per the need, reshuffles have been made in many districts from time to time. PDA does not mean that the same equation should be seen everywhere. In the state committee, it is definitely ensured that every section of society gets a place," he said.