New Delhi: The slogan of PDA (Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) has revitalised the political messaging of the Samajwadi Party under Akhilesh Yadav. A call to unite backward caste Hindus, Dalits and minorities, especially Muslims, against the domination of the ‘upper’ castes, it was a necessity for the SP to counter the formidable caste mobilisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The successful results for the SP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election have only strengthened the party’s focus on fighting elections through the narrative of the PDA. In other words, an inspired form of Bahujan politics icon Kanshiram’s formula of mobilising the 85 (oppressed communities) against the 15 (dominant castes). PDA encapsulates caste and communal mobilisation of oppressed and backward Hindu communities along with Muslims.
But does the slogan of PDA amount to seeking votes in the name of caste and community? This question has come up for discussion in the Allahabad high court after an associate of a losing BJP candidate in Uttar Pradesh challenged the election of an SP MP arguing that he had sought votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha election in the name of PDA. This amounted to a corrupt practice under the rules, argued the petitioner Gyani.
The matter pertains to Mohanlalganj Lok Sabha constituency in rural Lucknow. In 2024, senior leader of the SP, R.K. Chaudhary wrested the seat from two-time MP and Union minister Kaushal Kishore. Chaudhary defeated his caste fellow – both belong to the Dalit Pasi community – by over 70,000 votes.
Now, in a petition, Gyani, the former public relations officer of Kaushal Kishore and prefers to describe himself as a “voter” of the constituency, has argued that the invocation of PDA in Chaudhary’s election rallies and material amounted to seeking votes in the name of caste and community.
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Gyani filed the petition under Section 81 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Gyani, whose counsel is pro-Hindutva lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, said that Chaudhary had violated the provisions of Section 123 (3) of the Act of 1951 as such his election was embroiled with corrupt practice.
“PDA stands for Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak. He sought votes in the name of jati dharm (caste and religion),” Gyani told The Wire.
Section 123 (3) of the Act refers to:
“The appeal by a candidate or his agent or by any other person with the consent of a candidate or his election agent to vote or refrain from voting for any person on the ground of his religion, race, caste, community or language or the use of, or appeal to religious symbols or the use of, or appeal to, national symbols, such as the national flag or the national emblem, for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of that candidate or for prejudicially affecting the election of any candidate.”
Mohanlalganj voted on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election in UP. The election notification was issued on April 26. In his petition, Gyani said that while the election notification was in vogue, Chaudhary in an election rally held on May 12 sought votes on the basis of caste, community and religion.
Gyani also said that the term ‘PDA’ was coined by the SP and that there were certain interviews where the concept of ‘PDA’ was clearly elaborated and informed to the public at large not only by the candidate himself but even by party president Akhilesh Yadav. Pictures were uploaded on social media X by Yadav depicting clear usage of the word ‘PDA’.
Huge posters and pictures with the term ‘PDA’ were used to influence the electorate, said Gyani.
“In such circumstances, it is a clear case where voters have been persuaded to poll on the basis of ‘PDA’ in favour of the respondent. Thus, it is a clear case where the votes have been garnered on the basis of caste, community and religion electorate and the Election of the respondent is liable to be set aside,” said Gyani.
To support his submissions, Gyani relied on four decisions of the Supreme Court, including the Abhiram Singh v. C.D. Commachen & Ors., (2017) case. In that matter, a seven-judge bench of the apex court had ruled that an appeal in the name of religion, race, caste, community or language would amount to a corrupt practice under the 1951 Act. It would be grounds to annul the election if the appeal was made in the name of the community, caste or religion of a candidate, the election agent, the opposing candidate or the common voter.
On September 24, the Allahabad high court’s Justice Jaspreet Singh heard the petition. Justice Singh said the matter requires consideration and issued notice to Chaudhary. The matter will be heard again next month.
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Manoj Paswan, national general secretary secretary of the Samajwadi Party’s student wing and someone who has worked with both candidates (BJP and SP) in Mohanlalganj, argued that the slogan PDA did not amount to seeking votes on the basis of community but was a question of “justice”.
“The SP is raising the spirits of those sections of the society that have remained backward socially, educationally, economically and politically backward, for the sake of social justice. Motivating someone and trying to promote them is not casteism,” said Paswan.
Targeting the BJP, Paswan said that it was the saffron party’s governments that were picking ministers on the basis of their caste and that it was the BJP fuelling caste sentiments.
The BJP’s 2024 election campaign, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was loaded with communal rhetoric and polarising tactics targeted at alienating the Opposition in the eye of the common voters. Most notably, in the recent election, the BJP indulged in fear-mongering among the OBC, Dalit and tribal Hindus by peddling among them the narrative that the Congress planned to snatch their share in reservations and give it to Muslims. Among other things, over the summer, Modi said that Muslims were mobilising against the BJP as part of a “vote jihad.”
The Wire tried to reach SP’s Mohanlalganj MP R.K. Chaudhary but he was unavailable for comment.
