Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has stepped up his preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections with the launch of the party’s PDA Rath campaign, beginning its journey from Lucknow towards Rae Bareli on Thursday.
The campaign vehicle, designed as a special Rath for the party’s outreach programme, left the state capital with Samajwadi Party workers accompanying it. The campaign is focused on strengthening the party’s outreach among the groups represented by its PDA formula — Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak, referring to backward classes, Dalits and minorities.
The launch marks another step in the SP’s preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections, with the party seeking to take its political messaging directly to voters and party workers across Uttar Pradesh.
Akhilesh Yadav pushes PDA message
Akhilesh Yadav has repeatedly used the PDA formulation as a central part of the Samajwadi Party’s political strategy.
Speaking about the concept earlier, Yadav described PDA as an alliance of “progressive and positive people”. He said people who are suffering, unhappy or feel humiliated should come together under the PDA platform.
Yadav has also linked the PDA approach with the party’s promise of social justice, saying that a PDA-led government would work towards establishing social justice in Uttar Pradesh.
The term PDA was coined by Yadav in 2023 and refers to Pichhde, Dalit and Alpsankhyak communities.
‘27 mein 27,000’ strategy
The Rath campaign comes days after Yadav outlined another part of the Samajwadi Party’s election strategy.
The SP chief has called on party workers to focus on increasing the party’s vote count in individual Assembly constituencies. Reports said he set a target of adding 27,000 votes in selected constituencies as part of the party’s “27 mein 27,000” strategy.
The strategy is aimed at strengthening the party’s booth-level organisation and increasing its vote base before the 2027 election.
Why Rae Bareli matters
The decision to take the Rath towards Rae Bareli has also attracted political attention.
Rae Bareli is represented in the Lok Sabha by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and the SP’s outreach there comes as political parties prepare for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Yadav is scheduled to meet local party workers and leaders during his visit.
The SP has also been building its organisation in the Rae Bareli and Amethi parliamentary areas by appointing senior leaders to strengthen booth-level committees.
PDA Rath colour becomes a political talking point
Even before the campaign began, the appearance of the Rath became a subject of political debate.
The vehicle was expected to carry the Samajwadi Party’s traditional red colour, but some observers said parts of it appeared orange or saffron in photographs and videos.
SP leader Ashutosh Verma rejected the controversy and attributed the difference to lighting and camera optics. He argued that red can appear warmer or more orange when photographed in bright sunlight.
Verma also accused the BJP of focusing on the colour of the vehicle instead of discussing issues related to governance and public concerns.
The colour issue has drawn comments from other political leaders as well, turning the campaign vehicle itself into a talking point ahead of the 2027 polls.
SP takes campaign to the ground
With the PDA Rath now on the road, the Samajwadi Party is moving its election preparations beyond organisational meetings and booth-level planning to direct public outreach.
The campaign is expected to focus on the party’s PDA social coalition while highlighting issues that the SP believes are important to backward classes, Dalits and minority communities.
The 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election is still months away, but major political parties have already begun expanding their organisational and public outreach activities across the state.
